The intriguing duchess, Marie de Rohan, duchesse de Chevreuse

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS

Marie de Rohan, Duchesse de Chevreuse

[Frontispiece

THE INTRIGUING
DUCHESS

MARIE DE ROHAN

Duchesse de Chevreuse

BY

DOROTHY DE BRISSAC CAMPBELL

LONDON
JOHN HAMILTON LTD

PUBLISHERS

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY PURNELL AND SONS
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WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACE PAGE

Marie de Rohan, Duchesse de Chevreuse Frontispiece
Marie de Medici . . . . . . .40

George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham
Henriette Marie ....
Anne of Austria ....
Cardinal Richelieu

Louis XIII

Cardinal Mazarin

80
88

120
192

240
288

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS

MARIE DE ROHAN
Duchesse de Chevreuse

10VELY women dominated Seventeenth Century
France. They enslaved kings by their beauty,
-^ hampered statesmen by their intrigues and
destroyed the peace of Europe for an idle whim or a
fleeting emotion. International treaties were casually
arranged between kisses, and wars were lightly conceived
between the perfumed sheets of beds not endowed with
the blessing of the Church.

White hands pulled strings and entangled everything
in an impalpable web of intrigue. Soft lips asked indis-
creet questions. Rounded bodies blocked the sword of
justice and lured men to conspiracy. It was a kaleido-
scopic scene, shifting from boudoir to battlefield, from
dungeon to throne-room. And through it, vivid and
challenging, Goddess of Mischief and Queen of Hearts,
moved Marie de Rohan, Duchesse de Chevreuse.

Connected by blood or marriage with the noblest houses
of France, Marie de Rohan stepped naturally into the
lime-light. She held it by her intrinsic verve and charm.
Not content with being one of the acknowledged beauties
of her day, she was possessed of a political acumen that
made her an influential figure at three European courts.

lO MARIEDEROHAN

For twenty years her life was one long duel with the
great Richelieu, and she did more than any one person
to endanger the success of his policies. When he made
ardent love to her, she coquetted with him ; when he
tried to imprison her, she rode across France disguised
as a man and escaped him ; when he played politics with
her, she checkmated him. Three times she was exiled
but always returned in triumph to carry on the struggle,
and the death of the Cardinal left the issue still undecided.

Her great misfortune was the fact that she was a
woman. The intrepid courage that met danger with a
laugh of pure delight, the restless energy that made
domesticity insupportable, the quick intelligence that
made political intrigue a fascinating game were alike
stifled by the accident of sex. They found their only
outlet in the incessant intrigues that kept France in a
turmoil and ruined Richelieu's peace of mind.

On the other hand, she turned her femininity to
good account. Again and again the hapless pawns who
were dazzled by her bewildering charm fell beneath the
avenging hand of Richelieu, but others came joyfully to
the sacrifice. From the wreckage of one scheme she
turned to another and snatched victory from defeat.

For all her political activities, Marie de Rohan was free
from personal ambition. She conspired against the State
either in the interests of her friends or from pure love of
the game. *' Plotting," she explained naively, " stimu-
lates the imagination and the dangers it entails impart a
delightful zest to love." In that one sentence we have
the key to her fascinating personality. A tireless enemy,
a passionately loyal friend, witty and wicked, gallant and
gay, there have been many worse women than Marie de
Rohan, but few more interesting.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS II

In September 1615 the town of Bayonne was en jete.
The air was filled with flying petals, gay buntings
decorated every house-front and banners flapped in the
breeze that blew from the Pyrenees. In the narrow streets
citizens in gala dress rubbed shoulders with steel-clad
pikemen and courtiers in velvet and satin. Great nobles
with their attendants rode through the throng and mes-
sengers scurried back and forth, swelling with impor-
tance. Outside the walls a city of tents had sprung up
overnight and over the great pavilion in the meadow
floated the oriflamme of France.

Across the river was another pavilion over which flew
the banner of Spain. The two crowns had been united
by a double wedding, and the little border town had
been selected for the exchange of brides.

To Marie de Medici, Queen-Mother and Regent of
France, this day was the culmination of five years of
diplomacy. Her hero-husband, Henry of Navarre, had
fought Spain all his life and was preparing for another
campaign, when the dagger of a fanatic priest cut short
his career. Seizing the reins of power in her own greedy
hands, Marie de Medici had reversed his policy. She
had set her heart on a Franco-Spanish alliance and had
achieved it, in the face of every obstacle. Her Huguenot
subjects rebelled in protest but still she persevered. With
an army to protect her from the rebels, she had come to
Bayonne and carried through her project. Her young
son, Louis XIII, had been married by proxy to Anne of
Austria, daughter of the King of Spain. The Princess
Elizabeth of France was given in exchange to Philip,
heir to the Spanish throne, which he later ascended as
Philip IV.

The Regent was intoxicated with triumph at the
success of her diplomacy. The bridegroom did not share

12 MARIE DE ROHAN

his redoubtable parent's excitement. He was a lethargic
youth, not much given to displaying emotion. Gloomy
dark eyes looked out from under an unruly thatch of
bristly black hair. He had the large Bourbon nose and a
mouth that habitually hung half open, giving his face
a look of melancholy stupidity.

For five years Louis had been taught to regard the
Spanish Infanta as liis predestined bride. Her portrait
hung in his rooms at the Louvre, and his ears had rung
with praises of her beauty and charm. His response had
been nil. By some curious chance this son of the
amorous Henry of Navarre was sexually abnormal. No
lovely face could make his heart beat faster or send the
blood coursing madly through his veins. He was terri-
fied of women, shrank from the very thought of physical
contact and was to earn only too well liis title of Louis
the Chaste.

It was the irony of fate that such a man should have
been linked in marriage with one of the most beautiful
women in Europe. Although only fourteen at the time
of her marriage, Anne of Austria was already very lovely.
She was tall and slender with a graceful figure and
exquisite hands. Her complexion had a clear pallor that
gave her face the appearance of a finely-cut cameo.
Glowing dark eyes with curling lashes made an effective
contrast with her masses of chestnut curls.

Anne had received a little note of welcome from her
husband, graceful in diction, discreetly ardent in tone.
It consoled her for the sullen indifference of his manner
when they met during the ceremonies. Not till later
did she realize that the note had been written by his
enterprising and ingratiating friend, d' Albert. Louis
himself regarded his approaching nuptials with distaste
tinged with panic.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I3

That night the Uttle bride was duly escorted to the
nuptial chamber and installed in the state bed. The
sheets had been sprinkled with holy water, a Prince of
the Church had blessed the royal couch and the Court
waited to give the young couple their felicitations and
good wishes. Only the bridegroom was missing. The
slow minutes crawled by, eye-brows were raised
and faint snickers were heard in the embarrassing
stillness. Finally Marie de Medici, with a brow like
thunder, left the room in search of the truant. She found
him cowering in his own bed, whither he had fled for
refuge.

" Come, my son," said the imperious dame, holding
out her hand. " It*s not enough to get married. You
must now come to the bride who awaits you." Docilely
Louis rose, put on his gown and slippers and was led to
the bridal chamber. Unprotesting, he was tucked into
bed and received the formal salutations of the Court.
The room was then cleared, leaving only the two elderly
nurses, who remained, according to custom, to cool the
fires of ardour with the counsels of moderation. One
gathers that, on this occasion, their services were not
required.

The following morning, with the simple candour that
marks this era in French history, an official statement
was issued to members of the diplomatic corps. It was
to the effect that the King had acquitted himself nobly
and " had expressed himself as being very satisfied with
the perfection of his marriage." Some of the diplomats
were apparently unconvinced by this naive document.
The envoy from Mantua began his dispatch with the
significant phrase : *' If we are to believe what we are
told ..." Four years were to pass before Louis
found courage to approach his bride again.

14 MARIE DE ROHAN

Anne had brought with her from Spain several stately-
duennas, awe-inspiring in their starched coifs and flowing
robes. On her arrival in France she was given a number
of maids-of-honour, young girls chosen from the noblest
families in the land. Among these was Marie de Rohan,
who thus makes her first appearance on the stage of
history. It is possible that she accompanied the Court
to Bayonne but there is no evidence to that effect. She
first appears in the records after the return of the bridal
party to the Louvre.

For generations the great rambling palace on the
banks of the Seine had been the residence of the kings of
France. Its countless rooms and endless corridors were
filled with the accumulated treasures of centuries, grey
with the dust of ages. Noble dames and courtly knights,
kings and clerks and courtesans had played their parts
and passed on into the unknown. The Louvre was soon
to be abandoned but one more play was to be acted
within its walls. It was the tragi-comedy of errors that
was the life of Marie de Rohan. In the autumn of 1 615,
for the first time, the principal actors in the cast were
assembled beneath one roof.

In the State apartments, mistress of all she surveyed,
Hved Marie de Medici. The boy-king was relegated to
humbler quarters. He was a mere nonentity, kept in the
background by his ambitious parent who shrank from
the thought of resigning her power as Regent. Louis
had always been rigidly excluded from taking any part
in the government and was, in effect, told to run away
and play. To make his play more interesting, he was
given, as companion, a young Provengal who combined
rare personal charm with an expert knowledge of
falconry.

This was Charles Honore d'Albert, who was officially

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I5

Huntsman to the King. D'Albert shared the King's
amusements by day and his bed by night, enjoyed his
absolute confidence and was his inseparable companion.

In yet another suite, gloomy and shabbily furnished,
the little Queen sat all day over her embroidery frame,
sorting the silks with listless fingers. Her dream of
reigning in France, admired by her subjects and adored
by her husband, had had a rude awakening. She found
herself neglected by the phlegmatic weakling to whom
she had been married and kept in the background by her
domineering mother-in-law. Bored and homesick, Anne
watched with a mixture of envy and dissapproval the
harmless antics of her young French attendants. They
were usually grouped around Marie de Rohan and
seemed to find her a source of inexhaustible amusement.
Her blue eyes danced, her vivid roguish face was alight
with laughter and her infectious chuckle at some drollery
would break into the oppressive silence of the huge
gloomy room.

Accustomed to the paralysing formality of the Spanish
Court, Anne and her duennas were shocked by the
irrepressible liveliness of the young Rohan. They were
still more aghast at her wit which, to be truthful, was
somewhat full-flavoured, even for that candid age. Until
this first appearance at Court, the life of Marie de Rohan
had been one long, hilarious escapade, and the stulti-
fying gloom of the Louvre failed to quench her wild
spirits. The girl who played impish pranks in the
Queen's apartments grew, by a natural process of
development, into the woman of whom Mazarin was
to say bitterly, *' There was no peace in France until she
left it."

Perhaps heredity was to blame. Marie de Rohan came
of a restless race. Before Cassar's legions conquered Gaul

l6 MARIE DE ROHAN

there were kings in Brittany who ruled their turbulent
subjects with an iron hand. From these kings descended
the princely house of Rohan, whose proud motto is " Roi
ne puis, prince ne daigm, Rohan je suisT

Born of this house, with centuries of unbroken lineage
behind him, Hercule de Rohan, Duke de Montbazon,
was worthy of his race and name. He was a handsome
swaggering giant of a man who faced the world with
head flung back and a " you-be-damned " air that proved
irresistible to the opposite sex. The haughty head was
not over-burdened with brains, and Hercule was credited
with having *' the morals of a horse-trooper," but he had
a few shining virtues. He spoke the truth at any cost,
feared neither man nor devil and was absolutely, unwav-
eringly loyal to his chosen cause.

As a young man he had followed Henry of Navarre,
sharing his hardships and his mistresses with a beautiful
impartiality. In the golden days that followed Henry's
coronation, Montbazon reaped the reward of his faith-
fulness. He was appointed Lieutenant of the King in
Normandy and Governor of Picardy. Like all the nobles,
he performed his duties by proxy and remained at Court
in attendance on the King. He was also in attendance on
the King's mistress, the Countess de Moret, and there he
found a rival in the person of Claude de Lorraine who
was destined to be his son-in-law.

Hercule shared his royal friend's weakness for amorous
diversion but he realized the importance of having
legitimate heirs. In accordance with his duty as head of
a noble house, he married Madeline de Lenoncourt, a
well-born heiress of fifteen, and installed her at his
chateau at Couzieres, near Tours. Eight years later she
died, but she had fulfilled her mission in life. She had
presented her husband with a son to carry on the name.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I7

and a daughter who might, by a suitable alliance, add
prestige to the house of which she was a member.

The son was Prince Louis VII de Rohan, Prince de
Guemene. Hercule must have eyed with some perturba-
tion the wizened scrap of humanity who bore his name.
Stunted and extraordinarily ugly, Louis was so insigni-
ficant in appearance that a contemporary described him
later as " looking like a professional tooth-puller."

Marie-Aimee, blue-eyed and winsome, was more to
her father's taste. Even as a child she showed signs of
the beauty that was to prove so devastating, and she was
keenly intelligent. When Marie was two years old her
mother died, leaving several lovers to mourn her untimely
decease. Hercule had no time to devote to the care of two
small children. The King needed him in Paris and he
departed, leaving them to the tender mercies of a suc-
cession of governesses. The nominal head of the house-
hold was Hercule's mistress, Louise Roger, who was said
to have been a notorious prostitute in Tours.

Left thus without proper supervision, the two children
grew up wild and unfettered. They consistently defied
any attempts to discipline them and followed the dictates
of their own sweet wills. Marie adored her brother, who
was desperately witty and had a curious charm of
manner, in spite of his unattractive appearance. The two
were inseparable and kept the country-side aghast by
their mad escapades. Hunting, swimming, fencing,
steeple-chasing, they risked their necks a dozen times a
day with unquenchable zest.

Marie often wore her brother's clothes, mixed fre-
quently with his companions and shared his diversions.
She thus absorbed a masculine outlook on life and its
amenities, but was daily becoming more and more dis-
tractingly feminine. We have many portraits of her,

l8 MARIE DE ROHAN

painted and verbal, and from them we get a vivid
impression of an impish, adorable creature, created for
the delectation and destruction of men.

She was rather small with the dainty trim Hnes of a
racing yacht — delicate strong hands, tiny feet and slender
limbs. Her hair was true gold, a mass of crisp curls. The
straight nose with its quivering sensitive nostrils, the
oval face and arched eyebrows showed her aristocratic
lineage ; the well-modelled mouth with its full scarlet
lips betrayed her passionate, generous nature. But her
eyes were her chief beauty and allure. Large, dark blue
with absurdly long lashes, they were now dreaming,
now alight with laughter. At one moment they had
" a mysterious power of penetration " ; at the next they
were melting and languorous and drove the man who
gazed into their violet depths temporarily mad.

Chalais and Chateauneuf, de Jars and de Thou,
Holland and Buckingham, King Phillip of Spain and
Duke Charles of Lorraine, Montresor, Montagu, Cam-
pion and even the great Richelieu himself — all were to
fall under the spell of those lovely haunting eyes and cast
prudence to the winds for a smile from those red lips.

A contemporary writer tells us that, even at an early
age, she had " a fascinating gift of coquetry and an
alarming lightness of behaviour." Thrilling with vivid
life, she loved as naturally as a humming-bird, and with
as little circumspection. When surrender to Richelieu
would have bought her power and prestige, she rejected
him but would gaily give herself to a humble guardsman
who took her fancy. Rejected lovers remained devoted,
discarded lovers became her lifelong friends.

For all her promiscuous amours, Marie de Rohan had
about her a gallantry, a forthright candour, a breeziness
that makes her seem more fitted for the open road than

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I9

for the scented boudoir. She rode day and night until
the men with her were exhausted and probably swore
like the proverbial trooper in the process. When she was
a matron of twenty-five, she gave birth to a daughter and
swam the Thames within the space of a few weeks, to the
horror of Puritan England. She scandalized the Papal
Legate by telling the Queen ribald stories and kept the
Court in an uproar by the practical jokes she played on
the stately RicheUeu.

To the circumstances of Marie's early life may be
traced some of the less admirable traits of her character.
The lack of discipHne imbued her with a cheerful con-
tempt for authority, and the influence of Louise Roger
may well explain the " alarming lightness of behaviour "
deplored by her contemporary. On the other hand, assoc-
iation with her brother developed self-reliance and a gay
indifference to danger. It gave her a shrewd knowledge
of life outside the polite walls of the drawing-room and
sharpened her already keen wit. From her father she
learned two things : how to play chess and how to
stand by her friends in the face of danger, disgrace
and death.

It was not, perhaps, the ideal training for a maid-of-
honour to the Queen. Nevertheless, Marie was well
equipped, mentally, to analyze the personalities of the
courtly world in which she found herself. In those early
days at the Louvre she came in contact with the actors
who were to play important parts in the future, and she
could watch history in the making.

Dominating the Court was the Queen-Mother who
inspired a blend of fear and distaste in all about her.
Marie de Medici was a large woman, portly and heavy-
footed. Her malicious, prominent blue eyes were sunk
in fat cheeks, mottled with habitual overeating. Deep

20 MARIEDEROHAN

lines graven by temper and self-indulgence marred her
face. The hair above her low forehead was greying, but
the fantastic coiffure she affected showed that her vanity
still survived.

Linked with the Queen-Mother was her paramour, the
Florentine Concini. This swaggering adventurer had
come to Court years before, with nothing but a hand-
some face and unlimited impudence to commend him.
His swarthy beauty so impressed Marie de Medici that
she married him to her waiting woman, Leonore Galigai,
in order to have an excuse for keeping him at Court.
Even during the life-time of her husband she had suc-
cumbed to his charms. After Henry's murder Concini
became King in all but name. He was raised to the
peerage with the title of the Marquis d'Ancre and loaded
with gifts. Marie de Rohan came to the Louvre to find
him the most influential man in the kingdom and fabu-
lously wealthy. While his wife occupied rooms high up
under the eaves, Concini was installed in a pavilion
within the palace grounds. It was an arrangement com-
bining accessibility with discretion.

Marie de Medici and her favourite ruled with a high
hand and their policy had reduced the country to a state
of chaos. The Huguenots were in revolt against the
Spanish alliance. The nobles were in revolt against a
government in which they saw no profit for themselves.
With mounting rage they saw honours, titles, gifts
showered on a low-born Italian adventurer while they
were ignored. Concini's own ill-advised insolence added
fuel to the fire. He ruffled about the Court, insulting
everyone of consequence, and insisted on being treated
with almost royal honours. He was so ready to resent
fancied slights that a contemporary wrote, *' If you but
lay a hand on this mountain it smokes."

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 21

Marie de Medici, besotted by his manly beauty and
plausible tongue, could refuse liim nothing. Only on
one occasion did he fail to get his own way and that was
when he came into collision with Hercule de Rohan,
Duke de Montbazon. Annoyed at being refused some
honour that had been promised to the Duke by the late
King, Concini brought suit against him on some trumped-
up charge. The Queen-Mother, in a lucid moment,
hesitated to antagonize Montbazon who was one of the
few nobles on whose loyalty she could rely. On the
advice of a young and promising member of her
council, Armand Duplessis de Richelieu, she ordered
Concini to drop the suit. His rage knew no bounds.
"By God, Sir," he wrote to Richelieu. "You use
me badly. You influence the Queen to write to
me to drop the suit against Monsieur de Montbazon
for her sake. What do all the devils — what do you
or the Queen think that I am going to do ? Anger
gnaws my very bones." Richelieu remained unim-
pressed. Montbazon kept his estates, and anger
continued to gnaw.

The Queen-Mother's partiality for Concini and his own
insolent stupidity had the inevitable result. Civil war
broke out all over France like a forest fire and was as
difficult to extinguish. Each noble raised his own district
against the Regent, and the royal troops waged a desul-
tory campaign, enlivened by frequent mutinies. Battles
were fought which resolved themselves into a series of
rear-guard actions, with both sides retreating rapidly.
When the Queen found herself in an awkward situation,
she extricated herself by buying off her opponents. The
Huguenot rebellion dragged on, making confusion more
confounded and France was rapidly heading towards
financial and poUtical ruin.

2.2 MARIE DE ROHAN

Meanwhile the fifteen-year-old King, deprived of any
part in the government of the realm, hunted and hawked,
trained magpies or harnessed dogs to toy cannons. He
seemed happy in his harmless pursuits, and Marie de
Medici congratulated herself on her shrewdness in select-
ing for him such an admirable companion as d' Albert.
The Huntsman had been careful to ingratiate himself
with the Queen-Mother and her favourite. As a reward
for his services, he was made Governor of Amboise, a
sinecure which gave him a regular income and an estab-
hshed place at Court. He was also appointed Master of
Horse.

In reality, d' Albert was playing a deep game of his
own. With an eye to the day when the King's favour
would make him the most influential man in the king-
dom, he was consolidating his position and making
himself indispensable to his young master.

While Louis spent his days pursuing the elusive stag
in the forest of Senlis and his nights in talking to d' Albert,
his bride was left to amuse herself as best she might. It
was a poor best. Day after day Anne sat under the
expressionless eyes of her duennas, bedewing her
embroidery with tears of sheer boredom. Her exquisite
hands were her chief preoccupation, and the most meti-
culous manicure takes but a few hours of an endless
day. Anne's mind, while tenacious, was limited. She
was dependent on others for amusement and turned
more and more to the vivacious Marie de Rohan whose
fertile brain was always conceiving some new jest.
Gradually Anne's early disapproval melted in the sun of
Marie's smile. The two girls became friends, then
devoted companions.

From the very first, the forlorn little Queen had
excited Marie's quick sympathy. To a person of her

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 25

generous nature, sympathy is akin to love. Marie con-
ceived for the demure Spaniard a romantic devotion, a
selfless loyalty that was to be the ruHng motive of her
life. She threw herself heart and soul into the task of
bringing smiles to the woe-begone face and happiness to
one whom fate seemed to have treated shabbily. Anne's
friends became Marie's friends. To Anne's enemies she
became an implacable foe.

Chief among these last must be counted the Queen-
Mother. Marie de Medici had moved heaven and earth
to bring about the Franco-Spanish match and had
achieved it in the teeth of her rebellious subjects. No
sooner had she reached her objective than she seemed
bent on wrecking her son's chance of matrimonial happi-
ness. Jealousy was the key-note of her character. She
could not endure the thought of anyone being in a posi-
tion to influence her son and dreaded a younger, more
beautiful woman taking her place in the public eye.

On the flimsy excuse that a young girl might be guilty
of some breach of etiquette, she excluded Anne from
formal functions and kept her as much as possible out of
sight. At the same time, by a hundred subtle remarks,
she implanted in her son's mind a dislike for the bride he
hardly knew. In order to keep herself informed of what
went on in the young Queen's apartments, she appointed
adherents of her own to attend her. Among these was
Armand de Richelieu, Bishop of Lugon, who was
appointed early in 1616 as Almoner to the Queen. It is
to those early days that the enmity between Richelieu
and Marie de Rohan may be traced.

Armand Jean Duplessis de Richelieu was the younger
son of a noble but impoverished provincial family. He
had attended the Academic, the school of arms for
members of the nobility, and planned a great military

24 MARIEDEROHAN

career for himself. A younger brother, destined to occupy
the Bishopric of Lu9on, which was one of the family
assets, suddenly retired into a monastery. To keep the
revenues in the family, Armand was obliged to give up
his martial ambitions and enter the Church.

At the early age of twenty-two, he was consecrated
Bishop, but his fiery spirit would not let him vegetate in
a muddy country diocese. He made his way to Paris to
seek fame and fortune at the Court of Henry IV. An
entry in his note-book at that time illustrates his coldly
logical brain, his shrewdness and his flair for supple
diplomacy. It is headed : " Principles which I have laid
down for myself respecting behaviour at Court " and
reads in part :

*' To speak as little as possible ; to be silent often ;
to withdraw, adroitly, without lying, when the truth is
dangerous ; to burn all letters received ; to be modest in
coming forward (I have not held myself in sufficiently
when I have spoken with great men) ; not to appear
distracted when others are speaking (the King likes
quick and frank answers and loves to be praised) ; to
cease speaking when the King drinks — everything
depends on his favour."

Henry treated the young cleric with his usual good-
humoured courtesy but made it clear that a bishop's
place was in his diocese. Sorrowfully Richelieu returned
to Lugon and possessed his soul in patience until the
restless days of Marie de Medici's regency offered a
fertile field for his talents.

Back again in Paris, he caught the eye of the Queen-
Mother by his striking presence and won her favour by
subtle flattery. He allowed her to feel that his devotion
sprang from a warmer feeling than loyalty to the crown.
When she remarked that she had been fond of the lute

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 25

in her younger days, he learned to play it and the Court
was edified by the spectacle of the lean handsome Bishop
" pouring out his music at the feet of the fat Queen."

Marie de Medici combined a fondness for ecclesiastics
with a weakness for distinguished-looking men. Riche-
lieu was given a place on the Council and his appoint-
ment as Almoner to the Queen was a further mark of
favour.

Finding that his tactics had succeeded with the Queen-
Mother, RicheHeu tried to ingratiate himself with Anne
of Austria. His efforts met with scant success. His
advances, which he himself described as " fatherly
efforts to show her kindness," were received with chilly
hauteur.

Marie de Rohan, watching all this with eyes alight
with laughter, would plan pitfalls for the ambitious young
cleric and play practical jokes that were sore trials to his
dignity. On one occasion Anne, probably coached by
Marie, said that she longed to see again her native
Spanish dance, the fandango. Richelieu fell into the trap
and found liimself committed to a promise to dance for
the Queen. In a last frantic effort to save his dignity, he
arranged that they should be alone, save for a musician
behind a screen. Marie, however, smuggled all the
maids -of-honour into the room and hid them behind
the tapestry covering the walls. Richelieu entered in the
conventional costume of green velvet adorned with bells.
He wore a high-crowned hat with a feather and carried
castanets. In his sweeping clerical robes the young
Bishop had a certain stately dignity. In this caricature
of a costume he was grotesque.

Anne tried nobly to hide her amusement but the sight
of the lean capering legs and the feather, waggling
erratically, reduced her to helpless mirth. As the music

26 MARIEDEROHAN

Stopped the arras was swept aside and revealed a row
of maids-of-honour, holding their sides with suppressed
laughter. Richelieu's face had been flushed with the
unwonted exertion but now it turned pale with anger.
With a few biting words he bowed low to the Queen
and strode out of the room. All his life he was inordin-
ately sensitive to ridicule and he never forgave Anne for
her part in this disgraceful affair.

Such undignified proceedings widened the breach
between the Queen and her mother-in-law. Marie de
Medici pounced on all these follies and repeated them,
with appropriate comments, to her son. Soon she noted
with satisfaction that Louis rarely visited his wife. He
seemed wholly absorbed in hunting and falconr}^

Anne blamed the Huntsman for her husband's neglect
and added Mm to her growing list of enemies. She had
no way of knowing that his violent preoccupation with
sport was concealing a deeper design. Louis and
d' Albert were after bigger game than deer. They were
on the trail of the Italian Concini.

CHAPTER II

CONCINI had insulted the nobles with impunity.
He brought about his own ruin when he kept his
hat on in the presence of the King. It was the
last of a long series of petty slights. Supremely confident
in his position as unofficial step-father, Concini treated
the lad with careless patronage, indifferent to his scowls.

Louis was a morbid youth, much given to brooding
over his grievances. In spite of his ignominious position
in the background, he had an acute sense of his own
importance and every slight was treasured up in his
retentive memory. As his hatred of Concini grew, he
poured out his grievances to d' Albert, whom he found
a most sympathetic confidant.

It was the moment for which the Huntsman had been
waiting and working for years. With Louis king in fact
as well as in name, there would be rich pickings for his
favourite.

Skilfully d' Albert worked on the lad's feelings. He
pointed out the many and glaring faults of the Queen-
Mother's administration and deplored the fact that the
nobles of France had been driven into open rebellion by
the insufferable tyranny of Concini. Every word added
fuel to the King's anger. At last even the thick-skinned
Italian noticed the lad's black looks, and blamed the
Huntsman for them.

" Alberti, my friend," he lisped in his Italianate
French, " the King looks at me with a furious eye. You
shall answer to me for it."

27

28 MARIEDEROHAN

Fortunately Concini was called away from Court by a
new insurrection of the nobles headed by the Great Duke
de Conde. It failed and the leader of the aristocratic
party was imprisoned. Meanwhile d' Albert worked
swiftly and well. A selected few were admitted to the
secret conclave held nightly in the King's bedroom. A
soldier, a gardener and a valet, they were a curious
collection of conspirators, but they accompUshed what
the greatest nobles in France had failed to do. Without
money, men or propaganda they overthrew Concini,
drove Marie de Medici from power and estabHshed
Louis XIII on the throne of France.

The soldier was a certain Vitry, captain of the guard.
He was asked to undertake the arrest of Concini, with
a marshal's baton as the price of success. Fearing to
trust any of his men, he enlisted three members of his
own family. On April 24, 161 7, they took their stand on
the bridge leading to the Louvre. Loitering there, they
looked like ordinary citizens, but they carried swords
and had muskets hidden under their cloaks.

Concini arrived, surrounded as usual by a magnificently
arrayed escort of a hundred men. Vitry and his little
band pushed their way through the crowd and reached
the favourite's side. Vitry called on him loudly, in the
King's name, to consider himself under arrest. Con-
ceited to the last, Concini gasped " Arrest me^ me .' " A
shot rang out and he fell from his horse, dead. While the
escort was still paralyzed by surprise, the guardsman
made his way back to the palace, still crying " In the
King's name." At the Louvre they found wild con-
fusion. Louis had been Hfted onto a bilUard table by
d' Albert and was receiving the homage of the Court.
He greeted Vitry with one of liis rare smiles. " Now,
thanks to you, I am really King."

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 29

Marie de Medici said unctuously, when she learned
of her lover's death : " I have reigned for seven
years. There only remains for me a crown in
Heaven."

What d' Albert said is not recorded but he was a man
of action rather than words. He emerged from the
scramble a Marshal and Peer of France, the most
influential man in the kingdom and the possessor of
Concini's enormous fortune. The King could not do
enough to show his favour to the man whose initiative
had put him on the throne. Honours and estates were
showered on the humble Huntsman, who was forthwith
made Duke de Luynes.

The coup d'etat was complete and the old regime
a thing of the past. Finding Concini's dead body aban-
doned on the bridge, the mob, crazy with joy, tore it
limb from limb. Each section of Paris clamoured for a
fragment and one sturdy labourer tore out the heart and
roasted it. Leonore GaligaT, the favourite's wife, was
included in the general hatred. Soldiers found her
crouching in bed with the Queen-Mother's jewels
hidden under the mattress. She was dragged out and
burned three days later as a witch. Marie de Medici
herself was sent under strong guard to Blois where she
remained in close confinement.

With her, of his own free will, went Richelieu. He
was the only able man to whom she had shown favour
and the only one who repaid her with loyalty. The coup
d'etat was a real tragedy to the young bishop. Five
months before he had been made Secretary of State.
Recognizing his abihty, Louis and d' Albert would have
confirmed the appointment, but Richelieu felt himself
bound by ties of gratitude to his patroness, and followed
her into banishment. He has been accused so often of

30 MARIE DE ROHAN

being a cold-blooded opportunist that this sacrifice of
his youthful ambitions should be remembered.

With the removal of the Queen-Mother and her
coterie, the nobles flocked back to Court, eager to profit
by the new regime. To their disgust they found that they
had merely exchanged one favourite for another. While
d' Albert had infinitely more tact than Concini, he was
equally eager to line his own pockets and had a host of
hungry relatives who must be provided with estates,
titles and gratuities. As the Duke de Conde sourly
remarked : " It is still the same old tavern. Only the
sign has been changed."

D'Albert, or the Duke de Luynes, as we must now
call him, was supreme and controlled every act of the
King. He used liis authority intelligently, however. He
offended as few of the nobles as possible and made
sensible provisions for the government of the country.

Louis might have fallen into worse hands. Cast to play
the role of king on life's chess-board, he remained all his
life a pawn, pushed about by stronger hands. It was his
good fortune that, at every crisis, there stood someone
at his elbow to tell him what to do. It is to his credit
that he usually did what he was told.

Louis was rather a pathetic figure at this stage of his
career. Flung without training into kingship, his interests
were centred in his hawks and hounds, his toys and
market-garden. Flung willy-nilly into marriage, he
shrank from his wife and had given all the love of his
warped little heart to the charming de Luynes. That
versatile person could attend to the details of the govern-
ment for him. A young husband is expected to look
after his matrimonial affairs for himself.

Here Louis found himself wholly at a loss. He con-
tinued to ignore his matrimonial duties but etiquette

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 3I

demanded that he should go daily to his wife's apart-
ments to pay his respects. These formal visits were
misery to the awkward, stammering boy. The lovely
Queen looked at him with reproachful eyes and, behind
the respectful smiles of the ladies-in-waiting, he sensed a
scorn of his inadequate manhood. His only consolation
on these visits was the presence of Marie de Rohan. With
her he felt cheerful and at ease. The blue eyes beaming
over her fan gave him confidence ; the gay laugh that
greeted his stammering remarks made him feel witty.
And here, for a marvel, was a woman who shared his
enthusiasms.

Marie knew the fine points of a horse and how to train
a falcon. She loved hunting, rode like a centaur and
swam like a fish. With her he forgot his shyness and
would talk eagerly, the words tumbling out helter-
skelter, his dark face flushed with excitement. Anne
looked on in bewildered envy but with no feeling
of jealousy. She knew that she had in Marie de
Rohan a loyal friend and one wholly devoted to her
interests.

It would be interesting to know what part, if any,
Marie played in the coup d'etat. The unhappiness of
Anne had made her declare war on the Queen-Mother,
to whom it was largely due. That she was on good terms
with de Luynes is obvious from what follows. The
Huntsman was ambitious but he was also in love, and the
success of his wooing may have been dependent on the
success of his conspiracy. That, however, is mere con-
jecture. We confine ourselves to facts.

Marie had reached the zenith of her beauty and was
one of the most sought-after heiresses in France. Her
father's wealth and position, her princely lineage and her
ravishing beauty combined to make her a most desirable

32 MARIEDEROHAN

partie and her father's house in the Rue de Bethizy was
thronged with eager suitors.

The possession of a daughter as lovely and as wilful as
Marie was no small responsibility for a man who had
numerous affairs of his own to attend to, and the Duke
de Montbazon was ready to hand it over to any eligible
suitor. There were many but Marie was hard to please.
Then one day soon after the coup d'etat came a formal
proposal from Charles Honore d' Albert, Duke de
Luynes, Marshal of France, Peer of the Realm, etc., etc.
It gave Montbazon much food for thought.

From the point of view of lineage, de Luynes was
mere canaille^ and quite unworthy of an alliance with a
Rohan. His family were provincial farmers and he him-
self was said to have been the son of a Canon of Mar-
seilles by a chamber-maid. On the other hand, he was
the friend of the King, the most powerful man in France
and enormously wealthy. This last was a matter of some
importance. Montbazon himself had immense revenues
but was constitutionally incapable of handling money
and was in no position to give his daughter a large dot.

De Luynes, it appeared, was not inclined to drive a
hard bargain. He was genuinely in love and would have
married Marie de Rohan if she had been a beggar maid
instead of a member of the haute noblesse. Marie, too,
somewhat to her father's surprise, was in favour of the
match. The marriage was arranged and a contract drawn
up by which the Duke promised to give his daughter a
dowry of 200,000 crowns. This sum, incidentally, was
never paid in full and the resulting law-suits dragged on
into the next century.

Five months after the coup d'etat, Marie de Rohan
and Charles Honore d' Albert, Duke de Luynes, were
formally betrothed in the Queen's apartments in the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 33

presence of the King and a few of liis suite. Two days
later, Wednesday, September 13, 161 7, the marriage was
performed by the Archbishop of Tours. This aged but
amorous ecclesiastic was destined to play a part in
Marie's later life.

Louis took an eager interest in the marriage of his
favourite. The ceremony was set for five o'clock in the
morning but the King was up at three and seemed quite
annoyed to find the bridegroom peacefully sleeping.
After a day spent in merry-making, the bridal couple set
out for Lesigny-en-Brie, a chateau formerly owned by
Concini and still full of his treasures. Their honeymoon
was short, since neither de Luynes nor Marie cared to be
long away from Court. On their return to Paris, de
Luynes bought for liis bride a magnificent mansion on
the Rue St. Honore, close to the Louvre. It cost him a
small fortune but he could well afford it. Louis con-
tinued to shower gifts on the favourite and his wealth
was mounting daily.

Partly in a desire to please de Luynes, partly because
of his liking for Marie herself, the King now paid her a
signal honour. There had been constant friction between
Anne's Spanish chaperones and her French attendants,
and Louis had sided with his countrywomen. He hated
the sour faces and coif-like head-dresses of the duennas
and declared that " those nuns " got on his nerves. Anne
herself admitted that they cast a pall of gloom over her
little Court. In the first flush of his new authority, Louis
sent them all back to Spain and appointed Marie
Superintendent of the Queen's Household. This gave
her precedence over all the ladies of the Court and
caused much ill-feeling. Elderly dowagers whose rank
entitled them to such a responsible post were offended
by the appointment of a girl of seventeen.

34 MARIEDEROHAN

Anne was delighted. She looked forward to a gayer,
freer life under the new regime and was not disappointed.
Marie's duties including handing the Queen her vest
when she dressed, holding her pin-cushion, sitting with
her indoors, riding in her carriage when she went abroad,
attending her at meals and supervising the details of
the royal toilet. These duties, all of which were con-
sidered marks of favour shown only to ladies of high
rank, kept the two girls constantly together and their
intimacy flourished.

Marie's popularity with the King, too, did much to
enliven Anne's life. Louis would invite the ladies, the
Queen among them, to accompany him on his hunting
parties, and would become quite gallant in the infor-
mality of the chase. Etiquette was relaxed and an air of
freedom and gaiety pervaded the Court.

At first Anne disliked de Luynes but gradually became
reconciled to her friend's husband. This further helped
to bring Louis and liis wife together. Gay laughter, irre-
pressible giggles, mischievous pranks and spicy jests were
now the order of the day in the Queen's apartments, and
they were all inspired by the impish Superintendent of the
Household. Madame de Motteville, who disUked Marie,
wrote disapprovingly in her Memoirs of " her gay and
lively humour, wliich turned the most serious things of
gravest consequence into matters of jest and laughter."

Sixteen months after her marriage, Marie gave birth to
a daughter. The King, w^ho was then on a trip to Calais,
ordered the guns of the city to fire a salute in honour of
the event and gave 80,000 francs towards the expenses
of the christening. On his return to Paris he greeted the
Queen and then hastened to the room where Marie was
still in bed. There, according to an eyewitness, "he
kissed both her and the infant tenderly."

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 55

The incident set the gossips' tongues wagging merrily
and there had already been some grounds for scandal.
Louis quite openly showed his liking for the girl and had
been in the habit of having supper in her apartments
almost every evening. Tallemant des Reaux, a witty and
observant writer of the time, believed the friendship to
be platonic. He writes in his memoirs : *' The King
never had wit enough to supplant the Duke de Luynes,
but everybody would have been delighted if he had
done it, and she certainly was worth the trouble it would
have cost him."

The King's interest in Marie was given added piquancy
by the fact that he was still leading a celibate life.
Not since his wedding night had he approached his
bride.

Such amazing continence was not to go unnoticed,
and there was consternation in diplomatic circles.
Despatches were written from Paris to the various
European courts in which this incredible state of affairs
was discussed with alarming frankness. The Papal
Envoy wrote to Rome : " These Spaniards, so ardent,
are in despair and say that the King is good for nothing."
He added his own analysis of the situation, explaining
that Louis' first efforts " had not been crowned with the
success he looked for nor the pleasure of wliich he had
dreamed." Others, less charitable, accused the reluctant
bridegroom of everything from impotence to homo-
sexuality.

A special envoy was sent from Madrid to remonstrate
with the recalcitrant Louis but he continued to shy away
from his matrimonial duties like a frightened horse or,
to quote a French writer, " like an insolvent debtor who
delays an accounting." Distressed by the deplorably
intact virginity of his daughter, the King of Spain wrote

36 MARIE DE ROHAN

her a long letter, urging her to arouse her husband's
interest by " coquetry and a thousand feminine wiles."

It was all in vain. Anne had been brought up in the
rigidly conventional atmosphere of the Spanish Court
and was quite incapable of displaying her charms to the
best advantage. Then Marie de Rohan took a hand in
the game. She, too, thought that a little harmless
coquetry might arouse the King's jealousy and thus
succeed where the exhortations of envoys had failed.
Doubtless with the best intentions, she set herself to
complete the education of the prim and proper Spaniard.
In this she was ably assisted by two of the ladies-in-
waiting who were as gay and devil-may-care as herself.
In a short time the Papal Envoy was writing to the King
of Spain to warn him that his daughter was being cor-
rupted by the " Hcentious conversation of the Princess
de Conti, the Duchesse de Luynes and Mademoiselle de
Verneuil."

This lively trio opened Anne's eyes to the fact that the
world was full of charming men, all eager to throw their
hearts at her feet. They instructed her in the arts of love
and awoke in her the desire for gallantry and amorous
dalliance. Their remarks were supplemented by a highly-
spiced and wholly scandalous collection of poems,
" Le Cabinet Satyrique," which Marie smuggled into
the Queen's apartments.

From theory, they passed to practice. In Madrid the
Princess Elizabeth was obliged to warn Charles Stuart
that " It is customary here to poison all gentlemen sus-
pected of gallantry towards the Queen of Spain." Anne
had first to be convinced that her admirers would not
necessarily be poisoned in France. Marie then produced
a succession of gallants who paid ardent court to their
lovely Queen.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 37

First came the Duke de Bellegarde, a sprightly old
buck who had been one of the shining lights in the Court
of Henry III and the friend of Henry of Navarre. His
courtly wooing delighted Anne, flattered by the admira-
tion she inspired in his aged heart.

Then came Prince Henry de Montmorenci, one of the
greatest peers of the realm and " the sweetest prince in
Europe." Tall, handsome, courtly, he was the beau-ideal
of a cavalier and his only blemish was a slight squint.
He sighed, languished, vowed eternal devotion and kept
Anne in a delicious turmoil by his ardour. All of this
was duly reported to Louis.

Urged either by jealousy or by his sense of kingly duty,
Louis at last decided to consummate his marriage.
First, however, he availed himself of what a French
writer calls " a novel and highly-spiced aphrodisiac."
For the details we are indebted to the records of the
Spanish Ambassador. In fact, most of the intimate
history of the time is drawn from such sources. Ambas-
sadors, as a class, appear to have been arrant gossips
and many a spicy bit of scandal has been unearthed from
the dusty diplomatic arcliives of Europe.

In January, 1619, the Duke d'Elboeuf married Louis'
half-sister. Mademoiselle de Vendome, daughter of
Henry IV by Gabrielle d'Estrees. This is the Ambas-
sador's account of what happened :

" When night came, the King was pleased to enter the
nuptial chamber ; furthermore, he even insisted on
sharing the bed of the married couple so that he could
witness the consummation of the marriage. The act was
repeated more than once, to the great pleasure of His
Majesty who applauded vigorously."

The bride, not at aU embarrassed by the King's
enthusiastic interest in the proceedings, advised him to

38 MARIE DE ROHAN

go and do likewise. Five days later Louis announced
that he would visit the Queen. When the time came,
however, his courage failed and he took refuge in his
own bed, where de Luynes found him. Kicking, strug-
gling, sobbing with rage and fear. His Bashful Majesty
was carried into his wife's room, tucked into her bed
and left to Ills fate.

Not even de Luynes' drastic methods could overcome
the young King's anaphrodism. Herouard, the royal
physician, made careful notes in his diary of the occa-
sions when Louis visited his wife. The dates are signi-
ficant; March 18, 1619, September 23, 1620, December
7, 1620. Louis is not altogether to blame for his excessive
continence. Always frail, he suffered from epileptic fits
and recurrent attacks of enteric, and the medical treat-
ment in vogue was apt to be more dangerous than any
disease. Li one year the wretched youth was bled forty-
seven times, given twelve kinds of powerful drugs
and two hundred and fifteen enemas. It is hardly sur-
prising that his vitality was low.

Neither is it surprising that Anne found this inter-
mittent courtsliip unsatisfactory^ With unabated ardour
she threw herself into the delicious distractions of illicit
gallantry. Opinion is divided as to the seriousness of
these romantic interludes. Some writers consider her to
have been, like Cassar's wife, above reproach. Others
credit her with more than her fair share of lovers. Per-
haps the most damaging testimony comes from the
memoirs of Madame de Motteville, the friend of her
later years. The good dame whitewashes Anne assidu-
ously and pictures her as a stainless martyr, which gives
added point to an unguarded remark in the memoirs.

She writes : " The Duchesse de Luynes was not long
in being liked by the Queen for the sake of the good

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 39

terms she was thus enabled to have with the King, who
Hked the Duchess, and the hunting and riding parties
which she was now invited to join. She thus did enjoy
certain periods of pleasure without other bitterness than
that of becoming pregnant several times and miscarrying from
having ridden too hard in hunting.'^ This statement is
interesting, since Madame de Motteville was ignorant of
the court physician's reprehensible habit of keeping a
diary. It is even more interesting in view of later
events.

Marie's own matrimonial affairs appear to have been
eminently satisfactory. She was on very good terms
with de Luynes, who proved himself a generous and
devoted husband. In 1620, she had a son, Charles Louis.
Once again Louis acted as godfather, ordering that the
service for the christening should be the one used only
for royal children.

For de Luynes, the first years of Louis' reign had been
cloudless and triumphant ; but the path of the favourite
is hard, and he was faced with many difficult problems.
From being Marshal, he had been elevated by the
infatuated King to the office of Lord Constable of
France, an honour formerly held only by such tried and
valiant warriors as Bertrand du Guesclin or Duke Anne
de Montmorenci. To give it to a man who had no
experience of war — or indeed of anything but falconry —
was a fatuous piece of business and roused the enmity
of all those nobles who had a better claim to such a
distinction. De Luynes, however, felt that he had a
latent genius for war and speedily embroiled the King
in a struggle with the Huguenots. Simultaneously civil
war burst out anew, with Marie de Medici now at the
head of the nobles. She had been rescued from her
prison at Blois, being let down from her window by a

40 MARIEDEROHAN

rope. The story goes that she nearly wrecked the attempt
by her determination to take along all her clothes, jewels
and two maids. However, she escaped and took refuge
with the Duke d'Epernon.

The nobles who had flocked back to Court after the
death of Concini soon became discouraged when they
found how few were the pickings after de Luynes and
his relatives had been provided for. Thoroughly dis-
gruntled, they retired to their estates and were more than
ready to rally round the Queen-Mother when she raised
the standard of revolt against her son.

With half the nobles in France on the war-path and
the Huguenots in open revolt, de Luynes had quite a
pretty problem on his inexperienced hands. He showed
less than his usual intelligence in handling it. Louis loved
war, but he did not enjoy defeat. He blamed all reverses
on the Constable while claiming the credit for victories
himself.

On one side were two inexperienced generals ; on the
other, Marie de Medici, whose policy changed with each
gust of passion. Both armies were made up of sm.all
troops under their feudal lords, all of whom were ready
to switch to the winning side. There was much marching
and counter-marching but whenever a battle seemed
imminent, a conference would be held. Terms would be
arranged and a few leaders on one side or the other
bought over.

In all this manoeuvring, Richelieu was constantly at
the side of the Queen-Mother and his was the only
consistent policy. He realized that there was nothing to
be gained from civil war and wished to restore his royal
mistress to her place at Court without bloodshed.
He tried to deal directly with de Luynes and even
arranged a marriage between his niece and Combalet,

Marie de Medici

[Face page 40

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 4I

the favourite's nephew. The two men, however, were
mutually distrustful and the negotiations came to
nothing.

Finally, more by good luck than good management,
the royal forces inflicted a crushing defeat on the rebel
army. In the treaty that followed, Richelieu was able to
secure terms very favourable to the Queen-Mother. She
returned in triumph to Paris and with her she took the
man who was largely responsible for her success.

One war was over, but the Huguenots still kept up a
stubborn resistance and de Luynes seemed unable to
bring the affair to a conclusion. His tactics were fumbling
and indecisive and he lacked the personal heroism that
was expected of leaders in those days of small armies and
hand-to-hand fighting. On one occasion, instead of
taking his place in the centre of the front line, he watched
proceedings from a nice safe hill in the background.
Ever after it was known as the " Hill of the Constable."
His prudence roused a storm of contemptuous ridicule
that did much to weaken his already waning prestige.
He had alienated the nobles by greed, the army by his
incapacity and the King by his ostentatious display of
power.

" There goes King Luynes," said Louis bitterly one
day when the favourite went by with his glittering train.

From this time, too, dates Marie's loss of the royal
favour. There seems to be no definite reason for the
change in the King's attitude towards one who had, up
to that time, stood so high in his esteem ; but it is diffi-
cult to analyze the mental processes of a man who was
both secretive and neurasthenic. Perhaps the growing
unpopularity of de Luynes reacted on liis wife ; perhaps
the Queen-Mother regaled her son with too many tales
of the frivolities in the Queen's household ; perhaps

42 MARIEDEROHAN

Marie's own free-and-easy manners had began to grate
on a king who took himself seriously.

One indiscretion we know of, which was well calcu-
lated to annoy Louis. In September 1621 the King and
de Luynes were engaged in a desultory siege of the
Huguenot fortress of Montaubon while the Court was
established in a nearby town. One afternoon Anne and
Marie rode over to the camp to visit their respective
husbands and delayed their return until after dark.
Marie suggested sleeping in camp but Louis objected
that there were no beds. " Surely the King has a bed,"
laughed Marie with a meaning glance from her mis-
chievous eyes, and pirouetted out of the tent, leaving
Louis and Anne alone. It must be admitted that Marie
could, at times, act like a gamin, and Louis was not the
man to be handled with such airy insouciance.

Whatever the cause, or causes, the King began to
frown blackly whenever the name of his former play-
mate was mentioned and he poured gloomily over the
lengthy letters that reached him from Paris. Marie de
Medici, still eager to keep her son and his wife apart,
retailed terrible accounts of the doings in the Queen's
apartments. Before Louis' jealous eyes passed a proces-
ion of gallants, all of whom, he believed, were
receiving more than ordinary courtesy from his wife,
and he blamed it aU on the gay Duchess. Before her
appearance, Anne had been a model of demure docility
but now !

Louis brooded, suspected, and nourished a growing
grievance against the two persons to whom he had once
shown every possible favour. Marie was wrecking the
reputation of his wife and the peace of his household,
while de Luynes was making an unmitigated mess of
the military situation. Louis returned to Paris in the late

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 45

winter and was revolving schemes for ridding himself of
them, when de Luynes saved him the trouble. At the
siege of Monheur, the Constable was stricken by a
virulent fever and passed away in four days, neglected
in sickness and unmourned in death. Louis merely
shrugged his shoulders indifferently when he heard of
the death of the man who had once had all the love of his
heart. His attitude was reflected everywhere. The body
was hustled unceremoniously into a cofhn and taken to
his home for burial. Only a few lackeys accompanied it
and they were seen by an eyewitness playing piquet on
the bier.

Even Marie seems to have taken her widowhood
lightly. She and her husband had been on excellent
terms during his life-time, but de Luynes had been much
away from Paris. During his absence Marie had found
consolation in the arms of the most charming gallant at
court, Claude de Lorraine, now Duke de Chevreuse.
While de Luynes was alive, the lovers had met at the
house of Claude's sister, the Princess de Conti. After his
death, the intrigue was carried on so flagrantly that the
whole Court was talking about it, and one contemporary
writer says : '' they flaunted their love shamelessly
before the whole of Paris."

The scandal gave Louis the opportunity he wanted.
He first ordered Marie to move from the Louvre to her
own town house. As Superintendent of the Queen's
Household, however, it was necessary for her to have her
apartments in the Palace. He compromised by having
her moved from her luxurious suite to a smaller apart-
ment high up under the eaves. Marie was enceinte and
about Christmas time gave birth to a daughter. This
time the King did not rush to her side and make a fuss
over the child. On the contrary, he was elaborately

44 MARIE DE ROHAN

unconcerned and made it clear that the affairs of the
Constable's widow were of no interest to him.

There were more vital matters to occupy his mind.
The war against the Huguenots dragged on and neces-
sitated frequent trips to the scene of action. No doubt
these journeys were a relief from domestic complica-
tions at the Louvre. Marie de Medici wearied his ears
with complaints about his wife and was voluble in her
criticism of his handling of State affairs. Anne was in
an interesting condition and expected to present him
with an heir in the early summer.

It was emphatically a time for the widowed Marie to
act with discretion. Instead she chose this critical
juncture to make a bad mistake.

CHAPTER III

ONE evening in March the Queen was strolHng
through the Louvre, hand in hand with Marie
and Mademoiselle de Verneuil. For no apparent
reason they began to run a race down the long salon.
Anne tripped on a low dais, fell heavily to the floor and
was carried up to her apartments in great distress. After
three days of anxiety it was announced that this was
another case of Love's Labour Lost.

There is something very curious about this episode.
Who started the race, and why ? Anne had all the bodily
indolence of a Spaniard. She would never run if she
could stroll, or walk if she could be carried. If Made-
moiselle de Verneuil suggested the fatal race, the Super-
intendent of the Household should have negatived the
proposal. One is forced to the conclusion that Marie
was to blame, which brings us again to the question,
why ? As the mother of three children, she knew that
maternity and athletics do not blend. Famihar as she was
with affairs at Court, she must have known that the birth
of an heir would go far to reconcile the royal couple.

Did she perhaps fear that the child would have a
betraying squint ? And was she equally responsible for
the minor disasters caused, officially, by the Queen's
energy in the hunting field ? It is a nice problem for
amateur psychologists who will find many others in this
veracious chronicle.

Louis was away from Paris when he learned that his
hopes were not to be realized. At once he wrote

45

46 MARIEDEROHAN

furiously, dismissing Marie from Court and ordering
Anne to sever all connection with her friend. His rage
with the mischievous marplot knew no bounds and he
was determined to put an end to the deplorable state of
affairs in his household.

Anne wept and wailed, declared that these things
happened in the very best famiUes and vowed that the
contretemps was in no way the fault of her darling Marie,
without whom she could not live. Louis was adamant
and ordered Marie to leave the Louvre without delay.
Sadly she gathered together her possessions, took an
emotional farewell of the Queen and departed to her
own house.

It was an ignominious end to her triumphal progress,
a catastrophe as overwhelming as it was unforeseen. A
few months before Marie had been perched on the
highest pinnacle of fortune. The friend of the King,
the intimate companion of the Queen, wife of the Con-
stable and spoiled darling of the Court, her position had
seemed impregnable. Now she found herself a widow,
dismissed from the Court in disgrace.

To most people, all would have seemed irretrievably
lost but Marie had not begun to fight. She had two
potent weapons, her beauty and her fine keen brain.
With these she set herself to recover all she had lost and
did it in exactly three weeks. Her fall from favour was
due to a piece of brainless folly but she retrie^jp- the
disaster by masterly strategy. W

In this, the first engagement in a long battle ^ wits,
she used the initiative, the lightning intuition and the
seductive charm that were to mark her incredible career.
Above all, she showed her ability to select unerringly
the most fitting tool for the work in hand. She left the
Court a widow. She returned in triumph leading in the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 47

flowery chains of matrimony the dazed but blissful
Claude de Lorraine.

At the time of his marriage Claude de Lorraine was
over forty but was considered one of the most eligible
bachelors in France. His portraits show a long face with
liigh cheek-bones and finely-cut aristocratic features. He
was tall, slender, a graceful dancer and a superb swords-
man. He would flirt with a woman or run his rapier
through a man with the same ineff"able courtliness. It is
no wonder that his path was strewn with the petals of
fallen virtue.

His life had been largely spent in the pursuit of
beauty. At the Court of Henry IV he had wooed the
icing's mistresses with ardour and fought duels about
them on the slightest excuse. He once chased the Duke
de Bellegarde into the royal bedchamber and ran him
through the leg for some jest about Henriette d'Entra-
gues. After that grave breach of etiquette he was
invited to travel in England and there struck up a lasting
friendship with his cousin, Charles Stuart, later Charles I.

On his return Claude must needs devote himself to
the Countess de Moret and was told that a trip to Turkey
might broaden his outlook on life. Among a host of
others, he had affairs with Madame de Villars, the famous
Angelique de Paulet and the elderly Madame de Ferva-
ques, who allowed him to spend her vast fortune n
exchange for his favours. For all his impetuosity in
attack, the noble lord knew when to retreat and had
escaped the bonds of holy matrimony until captured by
Marie de Rohan.

Popular as he was in drawing-rooms, Claude de
Lorraine was a fighting man. He was absolutely fearless
in battle and contrived to take part in every war that
came his way. During the early years of the Regency

48 MARIEDEROHAN

he fought for Marie de Medici against the rebels and at
the battle of Negrepelisse he led a heroic charge against
the Huguenots that saved the day. When no wars were
available he fought duels and was considered the finest
swordsman in France.

To his personal charms, Claude de Lorraine added the
glamour of exalted birth. He was a member of the semi-
royal House of Guise and was related to the English
royal house through his aunt, Mary Queen of Scots. He
was a cousin of the Duke of Lorraine and his sister was
the wife of the Prince de Conti, a kinsman of Louis
himself.

Claude had luxurious apartments in the Louvre,
immediately above those of the King. He called Marie
de Medici " Aunt " and was looked on as one of the
royal family. Louis had bestowed on him the duchy of
Chevreuse and, as a further mark of favour, had appointed
him Grand Chamberlain of France.

This was the lover in whose arms Marie had whiled
away the hours during the absence of her husband at the
wars. Even to such a sophisticated connoisseur of
feminine charms the experience had been unique and had
made his blase heart beat faster. Seeking some way of
retrieving her position at Court, Marie decided that
Claude's ardour could be turned to good account. She
sent for him, only to find that he was away from Paris.

Nothing daunted, she sent a messenger after him with
a letter. Madame could, on occasion, be as diplomatically
circuitous and obscure as you please, but the letter she
wrote to her lover was starkly direct. " I have been dis-
missed," she wrote, ** and can only escape disgrace by
your marrying me. I beg your consent."

When Claude de Lorraine received this uncom-
promising epistle he was aghast. Wedding-bells rang

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 49

loud in his bachelor ears and he saw his cherished
freedom vanishing. Marie could well afford to take this
line. A Rohan cannot be seduced and abandoned with
impunity like a kitchen-maid, and Claude realized, too
late, that their affair had been carried on with a disastrous
lack of discretion.

He was travelling at the time with two friends, one of
whom was Fontenay-Mareuil, later ambassador in
London. In this crisis he asked their advice and was
strongly advised to refuse. They pointed out that his
own position as Grand Chamberlain might be jeopar-
dized by marriage to a woman who was out of favour
with the King, and who bore the name of the hated
Duke de Luynes. Furthermore, they reminded him that
the lady's reputation for gallantry made it unnecessary
for him to atone for his indiscretion by a chivalrous
gesture.

Chevreuse hated making decisions but finally yielded
to the persuasion of his companions. He sent a polite
but firm refusal to the proposal and continued his
journey.

For the moment Marie was beaten, but in her beauty
she had a more potent weapon and she brought it into
play. On his return to Paris, Claude called upon her to
express his regrets in person. From that moment he was
lost. The warm glow from those violet eyes melted his
resolution. The magnetic lure of the loveliness he had
enjoyed intoxicated him. Half-hypnotized by the vivid
personality and strong will of the woman, he succumbed.
Before he came out of the anaesthetic he was married.

Perhaps he had vaguely hoped that his family would
intervene but in his sister, Marie had a strong ally. The
merry Princess de Conti had fostered the intrigue and now
engineered the marriage. She rounded up the heads of

50 MARIE DE ROHAN

her own and her husband's families and secured an
imposing list of signatures to the marriage contract.

It was not a difficult task. To a family who stood
so near the throne, the King's disapproval was little
more than a family squabble. Apart from that, the match
had much to recommend it. Marie was of the bluest
blood in France and immensely wealthy. She had been
somewhat indiscreet in her amour with Chevreuse but
the estate left by the dead de Luyens more than sufficed
to gild over the stain on her reputaion. In any case, it was
doubtful who among them could cast the first stone.
The Princess de Conti herself was the acknowledged
mistress of Bassompierre and it was an ugly wife, in
those days, who could not pride herself on at least
one lover.

Marie's father alone refused to countenance this latest
escapade, and the marriage contract was signed on his
behalf by a notary. By it Marie gave Chevreuse 300,000
crowns and all her estates. In exchange she was to
receive an income of 10,000 crowns a year, chargeable
on the duchy of Chevreuse, and the Chateau of Dam-
pierre for her own residence.

It was April Fool's Day, when Marie left the Louvre
in disgrace. On April 22, 1622, she became the wife of
the noble and puissant Claude de Lorraine, Prince de
Joinville, Duke de Chevreuse, Grand Chamberlain of
France, etc. It was check to the King.

The marriage of Marie de Rohan to the Duke de
Luyens had been celebrated in the royal chapel in the
presence of the King himself. Her second marriage was
performed in private and kept a secret from all but a few
intimates. Convinced that Louis would refuse his con-
sent, she threw etiquette to the winds and neglected to
ask for it. Chevreuse may have had scruples about

The intriguing duchess 51

flouting the royal authority but he was swept along by
Marie's irresistible will, and surrendered meekly.

Immediately after the ceremony the bride and groom
left unostentatiously for Lesigny-en-Brie, the Chateau
where Marie had spent her first honeymoon. Behind
them Paris and the Court buzzed like a bee-hive. Louis
scowled, Marie de Medici stormed, and the Court at
large abandoned itself to ribald laughter. The less
charitable made pointed remarks about dead men's
shoes, cuckoo's nests, etc. ; others rejoiced openly at
the success of Marie's brilliant coup. Tallemant de
Reaux wrote in his diary. " It is the joke of Paris."

Ignorant of, or indifferent to, the furore at Court,
Marie and her husband spent a few days at Lesigny, then
went on to Dampierre. This was the chateau given to
Marie by the terms of her marriage contract and was to
be her favourite residence. Here she won the hearts of
the tenants by her gracious charm and plunged into eager
plans for refurnishing and improving the stately mansion.
In June they returned to Paris and took up their residence
at Marie's magnificent town house, henceforth to be
known as the Hotel de Chevreuse.

Chevreuse placidly presented himself at Court and took
up his duties as Grand Chamberlain. The chilly reception
given him by Louis and the Queen-Mother would have
driven the average courtier to suicide or voluntary exile.
Chevreuse refused to be ruffled by the frowns c^his royal
aunt and cousin. Secure in the knowledge of his own
unassailable position, he waited calmly for the storm to
blow over. Marie, meanwhile, remained in tactful
seclusion at home.

Chevreuse was justified in his attitude. For political
reasons the friendship of England was desirable and the
Duke's popularity in English court circles made him an

52 MARIE DE ROHAN

important diplomatic factor. Louis could not afford to
antagonize the intimate friend of the Prince of Wales.

Gradually the chill in the air subsided and the Duke
was soon entrenched as strongly as ever in the good
graces of the royal family. Under the circumstances it
was absurd to exclude his wife from Court. There was
the additional fact that her father was Governor of Paris
and one of the most loyal adherents of the throne. Late
in June Marie was formally summoned to appear at
Court. The office of Superintendent of the Queen's
Household had been aboHshed but Chevreuse was First
Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber. This automatic-
ally admitted his wife to attendance on the Queen.

Once again Anne and Marie were reunited after a
parting that had seemed interminable and they were soon
as inseparable as ever. Biting his nails with annoyance,
Louis was obHged to admit that he could do nothing
about it. For the first time, but not the last, Marie had
beaten liim on his own ground.

Marie, now the Duchesse de Chevreuse, returned to
Court to find a new star rising in the political heavens, a
new influence dominating the feeble King. The death of
de Luynes had left Louis without the moral support he
needed and the sympathetic companionship he craved.
Left to himself, he was helpless but he shrank from the
jealous tyranny of his mother. Gradually but inevitably,
as though drawn by some magnetic force, he came
under the spell of a still stronger personality. From this
year dates the alliance between Richelieu and Louis XIII,
reigning priest and puppet King.

The young Bishop of Lu^on had returned to Court
with Marie de Medici after the family reconciliation
and had been given a small post in the government.
Realizing that she had in him a strong supporter, the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 55

Queen-Mother was forever dinning liis praises in her
son's ears. She even persuaded him to ask the Pope to
grant her protege a Cardinal's hat. The application was
granted and in this same year Richelieu exchanged the
purple of a bishop for the trailing scarlet robes of a
Cardinal. In congratulating him Louis said with his sour
smile : " You would never have got the hat while de
Luynes lived."

With increased prestige Richelieu found more scope
for his unrivalled ability and was often called upon to
advise the King. Soon he was constantly at Louis' side,
shrewd and deferential. Shaggy black head and scarlet
skull-cap were bent together over state papers or military
maps and it was the subtle politician, the priest who had
been trained for a soldier, who suggested policies or
sketched a plan of campaign.

Stately in his princely scarlet, Richelieu swept through
the aimless, chattering throng of courtiers. Outwardly
controlled and reserved, he was seething with ambition,
thrilling with the prospect of success. Once again he
had his foot on the first rung of the ladder of fortune.
This time there should be no misstep. He had reached a
high point before as much through his cultivation of
Marie de Medici as through his genuine ability. This
time it was the young King who must be flattered and
cajoled.

It was a problem to tax his skill and subtlety to the
utmost. Louis had an exaggerated sense of his own
importance and was quick to resent any attempt to
infringe on his royal prerogatives. He must be consulted
about every trifle and nothing might be done without his
sanction. On the other hand, he easily became absorbed
in some futile amusement and would fly into a rage if
interrupted.

54 MARIEDEROHAN

Plis ministers often waited for hours to get liis signa-
ture to some unimportant document wliile he made
candv, trained his magpies or shaved one of his suite.
He was at that time obsessed witli the idea of becoming
an expert barber and practised on his attendants to the
detriment of their mustacliios.

What made Louis most difficult to handle was his
secretive disposition. He would listen patiently to an
argument and then walk away without comment. Woe
betide the unlucky wight who took silence for consent.

Through this maze of contradictions Richelieu felt his
way with consummate tact. He contrived to present his
opinions in such a way that Louis thought them the
product of his own mediocre brain. Under his delicate
strong fingers the most intricate problems unravelled
themselves, and statecraft became delightfully easy.
Louis turned more and more to the adviser who combined
tact with abiUty. Upheavals in the Council of State
cleared the way for promotion and within the year
Richelieu became, for the second time, Secretary of State.
France and France's King alike had found their master.

Louis was content to resign liimself to this new
domination and Marie de Medici was delighted to find
her protege in such a position of influence. She had
visions of controlling her son tlirough him. Only Queen
Anne remained as hostile to the Cardinal as she had been
when he was only her Almoner.

Richelieu's attitude toward the Queen has agitated
historians and noveUsts from that day to this. We have
her own statement, quoted by Madame de Motteville,
that he tried to make love to her and " spoke to her in
too gallant a manner for an enemy, and made her a
passionate speech wliich she was about to answer with
anger and contempt, when the King entered the room

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 53

and interrupted her reply." In another passage in her
Memoirs, Madame de Motteville writes : " It is believed
that the Cardinal had in reality more love than hate for
the Queen ; but, seeing that she was not inclined to
wish him well he did her harm with the King, either
from necessity or for revenge. The first signs of his
affection were the persecutions he inflicted on her and
this novel manner of loving lasted until the end of his
life.'*

It is possible that Anne's beauty appealed to a heart
always susceptible to feminine charm, but Richelieu was
not the man to endure contemptuous rebuffs. Anne's
determined hostility and the ridicule heaped upon him
by her gay coterie quickly turned any love he may have
felt into hate.

It is more probable that his gallant advances were dic-
tated by the same motives that made him whisper sweet
nothings in the ready ear of Marie de Medici. Anne's
friendship would be useful to him, politically, and he
sought to win her favour in the only way that occurred
to him. When that failed, he set himself deUberately to
discredit her with the King. There were no half-
measures with Richeheu. He took the attitude : *' He
that is not with me is against me ! " Anne had rejected
his overtures and her tribulations began.

The unhappy Queen had enjoyed a few brief years
of happiness during the exile of her mother-in-law, while
Marie was Superintendent of the Household. The
disaster of March put an end to that bright interlude.
From then on the Queen-Mother and Richeheu between
them effectually prevented any rapprochement between
the royal couple.

Louis was regaled with highly-coloured stories of the
admiration his wife inspired among the courtiers, of her

56 MARIE DE ROHAN

frivolous amusements and the undignified jests of her
intimate circle. Her every word and act were reported
in a way designed to keep his jealous wrath smouldering.
The indifference he had always showed turned to definite
dislike and all chance of marital happiness was lost.

The blame for this state of affairs rests largely upon
the shoulders of Marie de Chevreuse. She found the
Queen a demure young thing prepared to comport
herself in a decorous manner and to produce heirs to
the throne at every opportunity. Left to herself Anne
would have lived a life of innocuous boredom, neglected
by her husband, pitied by her friends and respected by all.
Under Marie's enlivening influence, the Spaniard devel-
oped an alarming fondness for amorous dalliance and
whiled away the hours with unseemly pranks and jests.
The Queen's apartments became the centre for all the
frivolous spirits at Court and the days were filled with
impromptu entertainments varied with formal ballets
and masques. Anne was passionately fond of dancing
and always took part in these elaborate pageants.

At night there would be State balls with the old Louvre
ablaze with light. From a thousand candles the soft
radiance streamed down over the dancing throng and
struck fire from many a priceless gem. Silks and satins,
velvet and ruffles blended in a gorgeous riot of colour.
Many a courtier spent liis fortune on his back and
appeared bedecked like a peacock. Plumed hats swept
the floor in courtly greeting ; broacaded skirts rustled
and billowed as ladies swayed through the mazes of the
dance. Red heels twinkled and diamond buckles flashed
in the candle-light.

Those were gay days at Court and gayest of all the
revellers was Marie de Rohan, Duchesse de Chevreuse.
There is a picture of her with her golden curls caught in

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 57

a pearl-strewn net. Her alluring eyes echo the invitation
of the perfect mouth. A lacy ruff frames her lovely
throat and falls apart to reveal the delicious curves of a
bosom only half concealed by ropes of pearls.

Once again she is the darling of the Court and mistress
of its revels. She amuses the Queen, baits the Cardinal
and treats the King with an airy insolence that leaves
him helpless and fuming. Dancing, flirting, carefree as
thistle-down, she basks in the sun of popularity with
never a thought of to-morrow. These three years are the
last years of peace and happiness that she is to know and
she enjoys every hour of them. Soon she will be up to
her lovely neck in intrigue. She will be exiled and will
return, only to be exiled again. She will ride for her life
while her friends fall beneath the axe of Richelieu. She
will know love and death and hate and fear, but she will
never lose her gay courage nor the conviction that some-
how, somewhere, she will win the game.

CHAPTER IV

IN the spring of 1624 there appeared in Paris two
young Englishmen with the aggressively ordinary
names of John and Thomas Smith. These gentle-
men, undistinguished except by their rare good looks,
were en route to Spain with a small retinue of servants
and stopped over in Paris for a few days to see the sights.
Wandering about, as tourists will, they found a group of
citizens watcliing the rehearsal of an open-air ballet
which was to be given by the Court.

The Duke de Montbazon, passing by, saw two English-
men who seemed to be of the better class and invited
them to enter the palace grounds, where they could
watch the performance in comfort. By that simple act of
courtesy Marie's father changed the course of European
history and set in motion a train of events that was to
involve his daughter in the most incredible adventures.

That evening one of the travellers wrote a letter to
his father. After giving some account of their travels, he
said : " To-day we saw the young Queen of France and
Madame Royale at the practising of a masque and in it
danced the Queen with as many as nineteen fair dancing
ladies, among whom the Queen of France is the hand-
somest ; the which hath wrought in me a great desire
to see her sister."

This letter was addressed to His Majesty, King James
I of England and Scotland and was signed : " Your
humble son and servant

Charles "
58

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 59

What the royal Stuarts lacked in commonsense and
character they made up in romance. Young Charles
Stuart, like the prince in the fairy tale, was travelling
incognito in search of a bride.

A match had already been proposed between him
and Maria Althea of Spain, younger sister of Anne
of Austria, and negotiations between the two Courts
were under way. Charles was not content to leave
the matter of his marriage to the diplomats. He must
needs see his prospective bride and woo her for
himself.

Thus we find him in Paris under the guise of a young
gentleman making the Grand Tour. With him was the
most romantic figure in Europe, the Duke of Bucking-
ham, whom Richelieu once described as being " as
dangerous to kingdoms as to husbands."

The sight of Anne of Austria, as Charles said, made
him more eager to see her sister. He hastened on to
Madrid, leaving behind him in Paris the woman he was
destined to marry. The " Madame Royale," mentioned in
his letter, was Louis' young sister, Henriette Marie, who
was to be Queen of England in place of the Spanish
Infanta.

On Buckingham the beauty of the Queen had a more
dynamic effect. Until now his amorous career had been
a monotonous series of successes. Before his ineffable
charm maidens forgot their virtue and matrons forswore
their vows. No woman had been able to resist his
wooing. For him, to be seen was to conquer. In Paris
retribution overtook him. At the first sight of Anne
dancing in the ballet he was smitten with one of those
fatal passions that defy explanation. Until his death that
romantic folly obsessed him and drove him to the most
extravagant lunacies.

6o MARIEDEROHAN

Many writers have described the Duke of Buckingham.
Hundreds of adjectives have been squandered in an
attempt to recreate his breath-taking beauty, his physical
perfection, his winning wit. It seems impossible to
capture in a net of words the elusive charm that won
men and women alike. He was a glamorous figure but
he had need of his magnetism to offset his defects of
temperament. Buckingham was as vain as a peacock, as
unstable as water and completely lacking in good judg-
ment. Yet tliis brainless coxcomb was the chosen
councillor of two kings and the most powerful man in
England.

George Villiers was of humble parentage but, through
the help of influential friends, secured a position as page
at the English Court. There his fatal beauty caught the
roving eye of James I, a naughty old scamp with a pen-
chant for handsome boys. In a very short time Villiers
was raised to the peerage as Duke of Buckingham and
showered with gifts. With an eye to the future, he
cultivated the Prince of Wales and won his affection. He
thus swayed both King and heir-apparent and his
influence in the State was immeasurable. His whims
directed the policy of the Crown and his emotions had
more effect on history than the reasoned arguments of
statesmen.

The trip to Madrid was a case in point. England was
strongly Protestant in sentiment and regarded the King
of Spain as the incarnation of His Satanic Majesty. For
some reason Buckingham set his heart on an Anglo-
Spanish match. He convinced the King, won over the
Prince and carried him off under the very nose of a
violently antagonistic parliament.

Once he had won his point his enthusiasm waned. No
sooner had he seen Anne in Paris than he began to evolve

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 6l

schemes for seeing her again. He lost interest in the
Spanish match and was eager to get back to England
so that he could further his own romantic passion. It
was in this state of mind that he travelled on to Madrid.

Once there the incognito was dropped and the Prince
of Wales was formally welcomed by Philip IV, brother of
the bride-elect. The old King had died recently under
circumstances which are worth relating as illustrating
the exaggerated stress laid on etiquette at the Court of
Spain.

Phillip III was a chilly old gentleman. He encased his
lean shanks in padded hose and always had a brazier of
charcoal burning beside his chair. One fatal day the
brazier was placed too close and caused His Catholic
Majesty acute discomfort. Dignity forbade any reference
to the temperature of his nether limbs and etiquette
prevented his leaving the chair of state for another.

Olivarez, the Prime Minister, noticed his master's
distress and asked the Duke of Alva to move the offending
brazier. Alva retorted haughtily that such menial work
was the duty of the royal butler. A servant was hastily
sent in search of the Duke of Usseda, Butler to the King,
but he was nowhere to be found. For an hour messengers
scoured the city while Phillip suffered in dignified silence.
At long last Usseda hurried in and ordered a servant to
remove the brazier. It was too late. The exalted legs of
the King of Spain had been so badly burned that ery-
sipelas set in. Phillip died, a martyr to his dignity, and
his son ascended the throne.

In such an atmosphere Charles' wooing did not
prosper. He hardly saw his intended bride and never in
private. He did however climb a balcony and have a
confidential talk with Queen Elizabeth, the sister of
Louis XIII. In the course of this conversation she told

02 MARIEDEROHAN

him that the negotiations were sure to fall through.
" Why do you not marry my little sister, Henriette ? "
she asked.

Elizabeth proved herself a true prophet. The question
of religion seemed an insuperable obstacle. With
bigoted Catholics in Spain and rabid Protestants in
England matters were at a deadlock. Finally a few
concessions were made on both sides and an amicable
agreement seemed to be in sight. Then Buckingham,
either with malice aforethought or from pure boredom,
upset the apple cart.

Prowling about in search of amorous diversion he met
the pretty wife of Olivarez, the Prime Minister, and
promptly made an assignation with her. Plis magnetic
personality had swept the lady off her feet but, on second
thought, she decided that discretion was the better part
of virtue. Instead of going herself, she sent her maid to
keep the tryst. Buckingham discovered the substitution
and considered himself insulted. Flying into one of his
petulent rages, he picked a quarrel with, of all people,
Olivarez himself. The diplomatic calm was shattered.
There were high words, sharp demands, spirited refusals,
acrid recriminations.

Very soon all hope of a satisfactory settlement of the
matrimonial question was lost. In the meantime Buck-
ingham had been instilling a new idea into the romantic
head of his Prince. Why not an Anglo-French match ?
It would be equally satisfactory from a political point of
view, more agreeable to his future subjects and very
pleasant for himself. Had he not seen the pretty Princess,
dancing in the ballet ?

Buckingham's motives for this sudden volte-face were
two-fold. By breaking up the negotiations in Madrid,
he could revenge himself for the snub administered by

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 63

Madame Olivarez and at the same time create oppor-
tunities for seeing the lovely Queen of France.

Not content with arousing Charles' interest in the
French Princess, Buckingham wrote to England, pointing
out the advantages to be gained from an Anglo-French
match. James I, weary of combatting the determined
hostility of parliament to the Spanish alliance, grasped
eagerly at the alternative. While Charles and Bucking-
ham were still in Madrid, English envoys went to Paris
to open negotiations. It is at this point that Marie de
Chevreuse comes into the picture.

The embassy was headed by Lord Rich, Earl of
Holland, a debonair cavalier with a reputation for
gallantry. In view of the informal nature of their mission,
the envoys could not be entertained at the Louvre.
Instead, they became the guests of the Duke de Chevreuse
whose friendship with the Prince of Wales made the
arrangement most desirable. Holland met liis hostess,
bowed gallantly over her little hand, smiled into
those violet eyes and found liimself fathoms deep in
love.

Marie, we are told by a contemporary, was " exceed-
ingly good-natured and delighted in loving and being
loved." Holland arrived at the psychological moment
when she was ready for amorous adventure. Marriage
with Chevreuse was already beginning to pall. As a
clandestine lover he had been charming. As a husband,
to a woman of Marie's calibre, he was disappointing.
His gallantry in war did little to excuse his moral
cowardice, and his suave charm of manner covered a
weak and vacillating character.

Chevreuse had given Marie the protection and
prestige of his name in exchange for her fortune. There
was little sentiment in their relations, and they treated

64 MARIEDEROHAN

each other with careless courtesy. The Duke pursued
his amorous way with unabated ardour, leaving his wife
free to follow his example.

The English envoy's slim grace and irreproachable
technique in wooing appealed to Marie's sopliisticated
tastes and his devotion won her heart. Chateauneuf, one
of her adoring slaves, said later that Holland was the
first man she had ever really loved and that she would
always love him. In a very short time the Duchess yielded
to the impassioned appeals of her guest and granted him
her favours. Not content with carrying hospitality to
such generous lengths, Marie threw herself heart and
soul into furthering his cause at Court. In this she found
an ally in her husband. While Chevreuse pointed out, in
his dilletante fashion, the personal charms of the Prince
of Wales, and the political advantages that would accrue
from the match, Marie plunged joyously into the
troubled waters of intrigue and diplomacy. Although
this was her first venture into pubHc affairs and was
undertaken solely to help her lover, she exhibited the
subtlety and aplomb of a finished politician.

In view of the fact that negotiations at Madrid had not
yet been broken off, the first discussions between Holland
and the Queen-Mother were necessarily vague. Etiquette
demanded that the matter be kept a profound secret
but a little calculated indiscretion soon brought it out
into the open. Rumours flew about the Court and were
freely discussed in spite of the non-committal attitude of
Louis and the Queen-Mother. Wherever Holland went,
he was surrounded by a htvy of ladies, eagerly exclaiming
over the miniature of the Prince of Wales, which he
wore about his neck. The sly dog wore only rich
black velvet which made a perfect background for the
exquisite ivory in its frame of pearls.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 65

Poor Henriette Marie, the most interested party, was
forbidden by the Queen-Mother to see the miniature,
since no formal proposals had been made. Marie
promptly borrowed the picture, smuggled it into the
palace and showed it to Henriette. For an hour the little
Princess poured over the likeness of the handsome
Charles, while Marie, primed by Holland, described his
charms and virtues in glowing terms.

Soon the matrimonial prospect became known so
openly that the Spanish Ambassador inquired sarcastic-
ally if the Prince of Wales were contemplating bigamy,
since he was already contracted to the Spanish Infanta.
His reports to Madrid had the desired effect of putting
an end to the futile negotiations there. Word now came
from England that Holland might make definite pro-
posals for the hand of Henriette Marie, and the battle
was on.

Marie found herself aligned against her old enemy,
Cardinal Richelieu, and, characteristically, thought more
of her lover's cause than of the prestige of her own
country. As Madame de Motteville says : " She was
interested in the affairs of the world solely in relation to
those she loved." Marie was far too feminine to be
interested in foreign relations in the abstract. She was
fighting for her lover against the prelate whom she hated.
Accordingly, Richelieu found himself pitted against an
opponent who had accurate knowledge of his weak
points. To add to his difficulties, the Duke de Chevreuse
was using his influence with the royal family to get
favourable terms for his friend, the Prince of Wales. On
the other hand, Buckingham was whole-heartedly in
favour of the match and in his eagerness, persuaded
James to yield many points that might have proved
obstacles.

66 MARIEDEROHAN

An international marriage contract, in those days, had
as many clauses as the Versailles Treaty, and each clause
involved a polite wrangle. For the sake of French
prestige, Richelieu was bent on winning as many
religious concessions as England had been ready to grant
to Spain. Holland, on the contrary, had been ordered
to uphold the Protestant claims insisted upon by parlia-
ment.

Richelieu attempted to get the upper hand from the
start by claiming precedence at public functions over
the ambassadors, on the ground that he was a Prince of
the Church. Holland, representing a Protestant country,
took no stock in cardinals and stood firm on his diplo-
matic status. It was a deadlock, only solved when the
wily prelate retired to bed with some imaginary ailment.

Snugly ensconced between the sheets, he received the
envoys in liis bedroom, where questions of precedence
did not apply. Hampered by the activities of Marie de
Chevreuse, but aided by the impatient Buckingham,
Richelieu concluded the negotiations on terms fairly
satisfactory to France. The treaty was signed and May 8,
1625, was set for the date of the wedding.

Both courts celebrated the conclusion of the discus-
sions with enthusiasm and the Louvre was the scene of
elaborate entertainments in honour of the English
envoys. On one occasion the festivities were marred by
the Count de Soissons, who considered liimself injured
by the match. When he was only five years old, Marie de
Medici had arranged a marriage between liim and the
baby Henriette Marie. With the prospect of a tlirone for
her daughter, she conveniently forgot the previous con-
tract. Soissons caused quite a scandal by drawing his
sword at a formal reception and threatening to cut
Holland's throat. He was quelled and forced to retire

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 6j

from Court. Soissons will appear again from time to
time in the course of this story, always playing the role
of a disappointed bridegroom, and always nursing a
grievance.

With the signing of the contract, Holland could con-
gratulate himself on having brought his mission to a
successful conclusion. To Marie it marked a turning
point in her career. For a whole year she had revelled in
the delights of illicit love, spiced by intrigue and
quickened by the clash of wits. She had been innocu-
lated with the virus of intrigue and was as helpless as a
drug-addict. Henceforth life would seem stale and
unprofitable unless she could pull political strings, out-
wit her enemies and help her friends.

Marie de Chevreuse and Richelieu emerged from the
diplomatic struggle sworn foes and political opponents.
During the actual negotiations, she had remained dis-
creetly in the background, but Richelieu knew only too
well the part she had played. He remarked on several
occasions that she had given valuable information to the
Ambassador and had been responsible for the very
favourable terms won by the English party. He saw in
her an opponent to be reckoned with and he had more
than a suspicion that he would have little peace until she
was removed from the political arena.

How to do it remained a problem. Even the King,
who shared his opinions in the matter, was equally help-
less. The Duchess was too firmly entrenched at Court
to be attacked. RicheUeu could only wait for his enemy
to make a false move. In the meantime he had all her
movements watched carefully. Spies surrounded the
Queen and reported everytliing that went on in her
intimate circle. Indiscretions there were, in abundance,
but nothing that would justify a direct attack on the

68 MARIEDEROHAN

popular Duchess. Richelieu watched with growing
resentment as his gay adversary went from triumph
to triumph.

The wedding day was approaching and preparations
were pushed on hastily. Then news came that King
James had succumbed to one of the various diseases that
he had cherished for years. Prince Charming was now
King Charles I of England. Under the circumstances, it
was impossible for him to come to France in person and
it was arranged that he should be married by proxy. To
represent him on this important occasion, he appointed
his dearest friend and cousin, the Duke of Chevreuse. It
was a choice eminently suitable from a diplomatic point
of view. Only Richelieu snarled at the honour paid to
the husband of the woman he detested.

The sun rose on that May morning to find Paris en
fete. The great fagade of Notre Dame was draped with
tapestry and cloth of gold. A covered passage had been
built from the Archbishop's Palace to the Cathedral, all
hung with violet satin figured with golden fleurs-de-lys.
In the vast square before the cathedral thousands of
citizens waited for the procession and from every window
projected eager heads, avid to see every detail of the
ceremony. It was late afternoon before the waiting
throngs caught their first glimpse of the stately proces-
sion coming from the palace. Eyewitnesses have
described the scene and their accounts are peppered
freely with enthusiastic adjectives.

First came the Master of Ceremonies and various
gentlemen, all gorgeously attired. Then came Chevreuse,
attended by Holland and Lord CarHsle, both very
splendid. Then Louis who, we are told, " appeared like
a bright sun outshining all other stars." He must have
appeared like a whole solar system if he hoped to outshine

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 69

the proxy bridegroom. Chevreuse had a star part and
was not going to spoil it by underdressing. He was clad
from head to foot in black velvet, banded with diamonds.
A diamond aigrette fastened the plumes in his hat,
diamond bands encircled the puffed sleeves of his
doublet, diamond buckles adorned liis high-heeled shoes
and diamond garters fastened liis silk stockings. The
hilt of his rapier sparkled with jewels, and then came
the crowning touch : " The representative of Charles
I had thrown over liis black habit a scarf which dazzled
all beholders, being literally covered with diamond
roses."

After that blaze of glory, the rest seems tame, but the
bride did her best to rival the superior sex. She wore a
gown of " cloth of gold and silver, all passamented with
the lilies of France and enriched with showers of
diamonds and other precious stones." She was escorted
by Louis, with her younger brother, Gaston, holding
her other hand. After her came the two Queens, Marie
de Medici and Anne of Austria. Then came the Prin-
cesses of the Blood Royal, followed by the Duchesses
and other noble ladies according to rank. First of the
Duchesses walked Marie de Chevreuse, attended by two
equerries, with pages carrying her train.

The stately procession paced through the covered
galleries to the porch of Notre Dame where the ceremony
was performed in the sight of all the people. The con-
tract was signed and the Court passed on into the
cathedral where the nuptial mass was sung.

A state dinner closed that momentous day with the
nobility of France as the King's guests. At the royal
table on the dais were King Louis and Queen Anne, the
Queen-Mother, Queen Henriette-Marie of England, the
Duke de Chevreuse, representing the King of England,

yo MARIE DE ROHAN

the English envoys — and Marie de Chevreuse. She was
the only woman at the table who was not a Queen. There
she sat in the royal circle while Princesses of the Blood
and the infuriated Richelieu were relegated to less
exalted seats. To most women it would have been the
topmost pinnacle of success, the ultimate sign of
triumph. Marie was bored.

Social success meant nothing to a Rohan who could
afford to ignore such trifles. To her, the King was no
semi-divine figure. He was merely a stupid oaf who had
not wit enough to appreciate his wife and the Queen was
a beloved friend whom life had cheated. Even while
Marie smiled and talked at that dinner, her agile brain
was planning an adventure that was to give Louis years
of worry and, to Anne, a few hours of precarious bliss.

Richelieu had been waiting for Marie to make a
miss step. Now her foot was at the edge of a precipice.
The very day after the dinner she plunged into an intrigue
that set two kingdoms by the ears. From then on, she
was never out ojf miscliief until sheer old age quenched
her enthusiasm and deadened the lure of danger.

CHAPTER V

ONLY Marie's love of mischief, her scorn of the
King and her readiness to make the cause of her
friends her own can explain or excuse the
intrigue in which she now engaged. At that time the
love of her generous heart was divided between Anne
and Holland. Frankly enjoying " the raptures and roses "
of passion, Marie deplored the loveless existence of her
Queen. It was true that Anne had many admirers sighing
at her feet but they were inadequate. Marie longed to
find for her friend the one perfect lover who should be
worthy of the prize. What more natural than that
Buckingham should occur to her mind ? Or what more
natural than that Holland should suggest him ? The two
men were intimate friends and it is extremely probable
that Buckingham had confided to Holland liis passion
for the Queen.

Buckingham had moved heaven and earth to bring
about the marriage between Charles and Henriette Marie.
Now the time had come for him to make his own appear-
ance on the scene and the way was prepared for him by
Marie and Holland. Rochefoucauld, the friend of Marie,
sums up the situation in his memoirs : " To do honour
to their own passion they planned an adventure of
gallantry between the Queen and Buckingham, neither
of whom had ever seen the other. " Rochefoucauld, of
course, did not know of the episode of the rehearsal and
it is only of late years that the letter from Charles to his

71

72 MARIEDEROHAN

father has come to light. Otherwise his account is
correct and is confirmed by Marie herself.

Years later she confided to Madame de Motteville the
story of this folly of her youth and the good lady duly
repeated it in her memoirs : " She told me that she used
to force the Queen's thoughts towards Buckingham by
perpetually talking about liim and ridding her of the
scruples she felt. She found it the most difficult thing in
the world to induce her to take some pleasure in the
glory of being loved." This last remark may be taken
with a grain of salt. Madame de Motteville' s memoirs
are one long panegyric on the Queen's virtues and
excellencies. All very loyal and charming, of course,
but not always borne out by the facts.

In any case, Marie devoted the week after the wedding
to working on the imagination of the somewhat lethargic
Anne and succeeded in arousing in her an avid curiosity
about this world-famous gallant. Every day Anne's ears
were filled with glowing accounts of his magnetic
charm and startling beauty. Every day brought him
nearer. Buckingham had persuaded the infatuated
Charles to send liim to Paris to fetch the bride home. It
was quite unnecessary, but Buckingham had been work-
ing towards this for over a year and was not to be
denied. Finally he arrived, in a blaze of glory, and we
get the picture from the memoirs of La Porte, the
Queen's confidential valet : " The best-built and best-
looking man in the world, he appeared at Court with
so much charm and so much splendour that he filled the
populace with admiration, the ladies with delight, the
gallants with jealousy and the husbands with something
worse than that."

No wonder the gallants were jealous and the husbands
shivered with apprehensions for their honour. Who

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 73

could compete with this gorgeous princely creature ?
While others be-decked themselves with all the colours
of the rainbow, he appeared, tall, slim, commanding,
clad from head to foot in white velvet, sewn with pearls.
Some of the stones, loosely sewn on purpose, rolled
about the floor but the magnificent Duke ignored them.
When they were picked up, he waved them aside with
his winning smile and left the finder in possession of a
rare gem.

Buckingham strolled gracefully about, bestowing
largesse at every move with a nonchalant magnificence
that reduced the recipients to dumb amazement. If
they had known it was the crown jewels of England that
he was giving away, his prestige might have been
lessened. As it was, he was the cynosure of all eyes, the
one topic of conversation. He had taken the Court by
storm and moved on to the attack of the citadel. He was
formally received by Louis and the Queen-Mother, but
his meeting with Anne was in the comparative privacy
of her own apartments. Rochefoucauld, describing that
meeting, says : " The Queen appeared to Buckingham
even fairer than his imagination had represented and he
seemed to the Queen the man in the world most worthy
to be loved."

They met as strangers. Five minutes later they were
intimate friends, talking eagerly with every evidence of
complete understanding and affection. On the Duke's
side was a romantic passion. On the Queen's, ardent
curiosity and the thrill of knowing that this ineffable
creature had loved her in secret for two long years.
It was an inflammable situation and Marie, with her
usual contempt for the conventions, fanned the flames.
During the week that Buckingham waited in Paris
for the bride to complete her preparations, he and

74 MARIEDEROHAN

Anne were as inseperable as Court etiquette would
permit.

Scandal-mongers of the more salacious type state that
they met in secret at Marie's house or at the convent to
which Anne was in the habit of retiring, but it is extremely
unlikely. Anne was under constant surveillance by
Richelieu's spies, and there is no evidence of her having
kept any ilUcit trysts. De Tillieres, who was in a position
to know, writes in his memoirs : " This passion was
perfectly harmless in its effects but its appearances were
anything but that."

Anne, one concludes, was getting all the thrill of being
wooed without incurring the grave dangers of yielding.
She was not particularly passionate but she had a beauti-
ful woman's love of admiration, a neglected wife's desire
to play with fire. She went so far as to tell Buckingham
that " if it had been possible for any virtuous woman to
love any man but her husband, he would have been the
only one for whom she could have cared." Cold comfort
for an impassioned lover, but it was all he could get. In
the meantime he was with her constantly, holding her
exquisite hands, looking ardently into her dark eyes,
watching the pale face flush with emotion at his burning
vows. The Court looked on aghast and buzzed with
gossip, and de Tillieres wrote : *' The Queen's affection
was increasing day by day and appearances were growing
worse ; which enraged the King, her husband, and the
Queen, her mother-in-law."

After such a day, Buckingham would return to the
Hotel de Chevreuse, where he was also a guest, and go
into conference with liis hostess and Holland. Bucking-
ham would rave about the manifold charms of his royal
mistress while Holland cheered him with hopes of a
happy ending to his romance, and Marie, with her cool

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 75

clear brain, concocted plans for bringing it about. That
week in Paris was merely a preliminary rehearsal,
designed to bring Anne to a pliable state of mind.
According to Marie's scenario the journey to the coast
was to be the setting for the grand finale.

Louis and the Queen-Mother were in a fever to get
Buckingham away but the preparations for the journey
were by no means trifling. Henriette's household alone
consisted of over two hundred persons with their
baggage. There were great wains full of her household
furniture and trousseau, chests of gold for her dowry,
all the paraphernalia without which no self-respecting
person of quality would dream of travelling. In addition
to all this, the King and Queen-Mother were to accom-
pany her to Boulogne, which involved the transportation
of the entire court with their innumerable attendants.

With such a mob overflowing the roads, filling the
inns, occupying every inch of accommodation at the
halting places, it seemed unlikely Anne and Buckingham
would ever find an opportunity for five minutes confi-
dential talk ; but it is proverbial that '* Journeys end in
lovers' meetings." Another proverb, equally apropos,
is : " God helps them that help themselves." Fate took
a hand in the game and wliile there is more than a sus-
picion that a certain intriguing duchess helped fate in
its laudable work, there is no proof. It may have been
merely the long arm of coincidence.

The fact remains that Louis was smitten with some
vague ailment, as he was preparing to accompany his
sister, and was obliged to remain at Fontainebleau. The
Queen-Mother continued the journey as far as Compiegne.
There she, in turn, was laid low with an illness which
the physicians diagnosed as a chill. She retired to bed in
a convent in the town while the Court found quarters in

76 MARIEDEROHAN

the larger town of Amiens. The reports of her condition
were so alarming that Henriette Marie refused to leave
her mother until she recovered. Messengers were sent
to King Charles explaining the delay and the Court
settled down in Amiens to wait. Henriette and her
escort were lodged in the Archbishop's palace, while
Anne and her suite occupied a smaller house with a
walled garden.

Thus, thanks to the convenient illnesses of both Louis
and his mother, another two weeks had been granted to
Buckingham and Anne, under the most favourable con-
ditions conceivable. The jealous husband was safe at
Fontainebleau, the dragon mother-in-law was bedridden
miles away, and the Queen was isolated from the rest of
the court in a discreet little house with walls liigh
enough to insure privacy.

It was an opportunity not to be missed. Daily Bucking-
ham and Holland arrived, ostensibly to visit the Duchesse
de Chevreuse, their former hostess. Daily the four
walked in the garden, with the Queen's suite at a discreet
distance, while Buckingham pressed liis suit. Marie had
created the ideal opportunity for the successful outcome
of her pet romance. The time was ripe, the place was
perfect, the girl almost won, when Buckingham, by his
own reckless folly and lack of finesse, precipitated a
disaster. A little more patience would have won the
game but it was a quality in which the noble lord was
conspicuously lacking. His vanity resented the need of
such a long siege, and he found it difficult to imagine
any woman resisting his ardour.

One evening, as they were strolling in the garden,
Marie and Holland fell behind, leaving the Queen and
Buckingham far ahead on the narrow path that wound
through the shrubbery. Behind Marie again were the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 77

Queen's attendants, de Jars, her equerry. La Porte, her
confidential valet, and Putange. As the shadows deep-
ened, Anne and her cavalier were out of sight in the
enchanted dusk. Marie and Holland looked at each other
with a meaning smile, not untinged with triumph.
Their manoeuvres had succeeded and the lovers were
alone together.

It was a short-lived triumph. Pealing through the
scented darkness, shattering the peaceful night, came a
shrill scream that sounded all over the garden. Marie and
Holland started to run and were joined by the attendants,
stricken with panic at the thought of their Queen in
danger. They arrived at the spot to find the Queen
sobbing hysterically while Buckingham knelt at her feet,
pouring out pleas for forgiveness and protestations of
deathless love all in a breath. Anne, still weeping,
declared between sobs that all men were brutes. She was
hastily led indoors by Marie while Buckingham and
Holland tactfully faded away into the landscape.

Much capital was made of the incident by the gossips,
but there is no reason to imagine the worst. La Porte,
who was on the scene of action two seconds after the
scream, saw no evidence that Buckingham had been
unduly violent. He says in his memoirs : " Favoured by
darkness, the Duke permitted himself very insolent
liberties and even went so far as to attempt to caress the
Queen.'' The Princess de Conti, that merry forthright
dame, assured the King later that " she would answer
for the Queen's virtue from the girdle down." As Louis
had once remarked loftily that he was not interested in
women below the waist, he should have been satisfied.

The Princess, as one of the Queen's intimate circle, was
in a position to have first-hand information, and we can
imagine the looks exchanged between her and Marie over

78 MARIEDEROHAN

the Queen's head, as they soothed the hysterical woman
and tucked her into bed. Respect for the Queen must
have struggled with contempt for the woman who was
afraid to make a bid for happiness. Moral issues aside,
Anne was a coward and the woman in her was bound by
Hapsburg tradition. She enjoyed being wooed but shrank
from being won. She thrilled at the sight of an ardent
lover at her feet but rebelled at the feel of possessive
arms closing about her royal body. At the first hint
that her adorer was getting out of hand, she had been
seized by panic and had uttered the fatal scream that
brought the whole romantic edifice tumbling about
her ears.

In spite of the loyal efforts of the Queen's friends, the
news of the contretemps leaked out and reached the ears
of the Queen-Mother at Compiegne. Infuriated, she
peremptorily ordered Henriette to start for the coast at
once. Two days later the journey was resumed. Anne,
who had remained in strict seclusion, accompanied the
little bride, her sister-in-law, for a few leagues, riding in
her own coach with the Princess de Conti. Marie and her
husband were in the train of the bride.

When they reached the point where Anne must turn
back, Buckingham appeared at the door of her coach to
say farewell. Choked with emotion, with tears dimming
his glowing eyes and blotting the beautiful dark face, he
kissed Anne's hand and begged her forgiveness. The
large-hearted Princess wept with sympathy but Anne was
unmoved. She had been thoroughly frightened and,
in the revulsion of feeling, was merciless to the lover
whose impetuosity had jarred her out of her placid
dignity. Wrapping herself in a mantle of outraged
virtue, she ignored the frenzied pleas of the Duke and
looked through him with icy, expressionless eyes.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 79

Finally, in despair, the Duke left her and she travelled
back to Compiegne to join the Queen-Mother. There
she evidently used more than her usual intelligence and
succeeded in convincing the old lady that she had been
the innocent victim of a brutal and unprovoked attack.
It was just as well for her that she did so. Early one
morning the Court was awakened by Buckingham who
arrived breathless and wild-eyed after a record ride from
the coast. The bridal party had arrived there only to find
that storms had delayed the ship from England. It
was another heaven-sent respite and the infatuated lover
had seized it. Behold him then, in the early dawn, hollow-
eyed for lack of sleep, grey with exhaustion, shaken by
emotion, but buoyed up by grim determination to see
once more the lady of his dreams. He could not leave
for England with the memory of those unforgiving eyes
burning in his brain and had delayed the royal wedding
party in order to reinstate himself in her good graces.

Still covered with the dust of travel he presented him-
self at the door of the Queen-Mother's sleeping apart-
ment and demanded admittance. He declared that he
bore urgent despatches from King Charles and must see
her at once. Marie de Medici was not famous for her
sweet temper at the best of times. In awakening an
irascible convalescent at dawn, Buckingham showed a
courage worthy of a better cause. Her annoyance may be
imagined when she admitted him, only to be told that
the bridegroom wanted to know his bride's favourite
dishes in order that they might be served to her on her
arrival in England. Perhaps the very imbecihty of the
excuse, thus produced on the spur of the moment,
appealed to the old dame's sense of humour. Perhaps,
dynastic questions to the contrary, all the world loves a
lover.

8o MARIEDEROHAN

Given the information he asked, Buckingham then
announced that he must see Queen Anne for important
reasons of State. Marie de Medici, with a wry smile, sent
the message to her daughter-in-law.

Anne, awakened by the messenger, was panic-stricken
again. She scented a trap and refused absolutely to
admit the exigent lover. Marie de Medici sent back word
that she should receive liim. Anne again refused, while
Buckingham stormed and vowed that he would not
move a step until he had seen her. Finally the Queen-
Mother made her own arrangements, which insiired
that there should be no unseemly scandal.

When Buckingham was admitted to Anne's bedroom,
he found several elderly ladies-in-waiting grouped
around the bed where Anne lay regarding him with
frightened eyes. Ignoring the embattled chaperones,
casting discretion to the winds, he flung liimself on his
knees beside the bed, seized her cold hand and covered it
with kisses. In an ecstasy of adoration, he even kissed
the sheets that covered his love and poured out wild
broken phrases of hopeless passion. In spite of their
horror at such an outrage, the w^orthy dames were
embarrassed by his ardour and Anne, helpless under the
battery of eyes, could only murmur non-committal
phrases.

Temporarily out of his senses with passion, Bucking-
ham implored her forgiveness for an offence which he
particularized, thus giving ever^^one present more than
a hint of the catastrophe at Amiens. Aghast at his
indiscretion, Anne finally granted him the forgiveness
he begged and urged him to retire. One of the formid-
able ladies then tried to raise liim from his compromising
position and told him frigidly that gentlemen in France
were not in the habit of behaving in such a manner.

George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham

[Face page 80

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 8l

Buckingham retorted wildly that he was not a French-
man, just a lover who would die unless he could be for-
given. Finally he allowed himself to be led out of the
room, leaving Anne in a state of collapse from fright
and emotional strain.

Later in the day he was received formally by the
Queen-Mother with Anne standing mute at her side, the
picture of demure discretion. Marie de Medici gave him
messages for her daughter and dismissed him, kindly
but very firmly. He never saw Anne again.

It might have been better for all concerned if Anne
had yielded to the Duke's embraces. The affair would
then have become, in his mind, just one more item in a
series of similar episodes. Baulked passion fired him
with an almost insane determination to overcome all
obstacles and made him ignore all other considerations.
Buckingham's fiasco in Madrid with Madame Olivarez
had caused him to break up the negotiations and wreck
an international alliance. His fruitless passion for Anne
was to plunge France and England into war and cause
untold disasters.

Richelieu was right when he wrote in his diary,
speaking of Buckingham : " The wild folly of an enemy
is more to be feared than his wisdom, seeing that the
madman does not act on principles which are common
to all men."

" The madman " went his way to England leaving
Anne to bear the brunt of his idiotic proceedings. She
returned to Paris to be greeted by an irate husband who
was firmly convinced that she had been unfaithful to him.
He was so harsh in his criticisms that even the Queen-
Mother intervened on behalf of her daughter-in-law.
She pointed out, very reasonably that it would have been
impossible for the Queen to do wrong, even if she

82 MARIE DE ROHAN

wanted to, because there were so many people watching
her actions. Louis remained unconvinced. The whole
Court knew that his wife had walked in a dark garden
with this mad Englishman and had screamed in fright.
It was common talk that he had grovelled all over her
bed and made impassioned love to her before a dozen
witnesses. It was inconceivable that these things could
have happened without some provocation and Louis
was determined to punish those responsible.

From logic, Marie de Medici turned to sentiment and
made the incredible statement that " quite a number of
incidents of a similar nature had happened to herself in
her own youth." If Louis had had any sense of humour,
the thought of his stout unlovely mother sigliing over
the fabulous romances of her past might have been funny.
He only grunted and proceeded to vent his spite on the
Queen's attendants. Marie de Chevreuse was in Eng-
land, beyond the reach of his displeasure, but there
were humbler people at hand who could be made to
suffer. Putange, La Porte, and the Chevalier de Jars
were all ignominiously dismissed, their only crime
having been their presence in the garden on the fatal
evening.

Anne was thus deprived of the intimate circle on
whose absolute loyalty and devotion she had learned to
depend. It was a shrewd stroke on the part of Louis and
left her desolate and helpless. Later, de Jars and La
Porte returned to her service and suffered for their
fidelity. Both were destined to feel the dread chill of the
Bastille and to face the grim torture chambers. De Jars
was to mount the scaffold and feel the edge of the axe on
his neck, only to be saved by a miracle. That miracle
was the absolute, unswerving, untiring loyalty of Marie
de Chevreuse.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 83

Marie meanwhile had arrived in England with the
bride and travelled up to London. King Charles had met
the ship at Dover and showed himself extremely gracious
to his French guests. The Duke de Chevreuse and
Marie were installed in Denmark House and given a
residence at Richmond to which they could retire from
the plague-ridden city. Charles was already fond of his
cousin, the Duke, but Marie promptly took his heart by
storm. Following the example set by the King, the
English court paid so much attention to the lovely
Duchess that the bride was almost ignored. Soon the
only topic of conversation in polite circles was the
Duchesse de Chevreuse. Her gaiety, her wit, her gowns,
her troops of admirers, her amorous adventures kept
tongues wagging to the exclusion of all else. It must be
admitted that she gave them plenty of material for gossip.

Holland was already her lover, and, in a well-bred way,
flaunted his conquest before the envious eyes of the
other gallants. Marie now proceeded to console Buck-
ingham for his recent disappointment. In addition she
turned the heads of half a dozen other gallants at Court.
Following her lead, the other ladies in the French con-
tingent set a breathless pace and painted the ancient city
a startling crimson. The Bishop of Mende, who had
come as Henriette's Almoner, watched their behaviour
with horror and poured out his feelings to his cousin,
Richelieu. " Madame de Chevreuse is shut up five or six
hours every day with Buckingham," he wrote, " and
Holland has made over his prize to him." And later :
" I am ashamed of the impudence of Madame de
Chevreuse and of her husband's simplicity — ashamed
of the fact that he is not ashamed. It seems as if these
ladies had come over to establish brothels rather than
to serve religion."

84 MARIEDEROHAN

There was some reason for this last complaint.
According to the terms of the marriage contract, Hen-
riette was allowed to have her own household and her
own chapel, where she could worship according to the
rites of the Catholic Church. England was officially
Protestant but it had been hoped that Henriette's chapel
might prove a nucleus from which CathoUcism could
spread through the land.

Richelieu had reckoned without the Puritan party
which was daily becoming stronger. The Puritans had
opposed the French marriage on reUgious grounds and
were bent on proving that they had been right. In this
they were greatly helped by the tactless blunders made
by Henriette and her household, which did much to
antagonize the English. Charles had hoped to build the
royal chapel and thus fulfil the terms of the contract
without difficulty, but he found himself involved in a
storm of vicious controversy.

Indifferent to the religious squabbles, Marie danced
and flirted, loved and laughed. London gossiped, and
the Puritans pointed long bony fingers and talked about
the Scarlet Woman. It must be admitted that the morals
of the lady were hardly an advertisement for the Catholic
Church of which she was, presumably, a member.
Between her cheerful godlessness and the pig-headed
unreasonableness of Henriette's household, all hopes of
" converting " England went a-glimmering and Richelieu
raged at the outcome of his plans.

He informed the King of the state of affairs in England,
as described in the letters of the good Bishop of Mende.
Louis promptly ordered Marie to return to France at
once. King Charles, greatly taken by this fascinating
creature, refused to let her go. He wrote that the
Duchess was in no condition to stand the fatigues and

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 85

dangers of the journey, and he insisted on keeping her
in England until after an event which was imminent.

Marie's condition, in fact, was extremely interesting,
although it did not seem to hamper her in any way. The
flowing generous costume of the day was discretion
itself and not even the daily expectation of maternity
could dim her magnificent vitality. Between horror and
helpless giggles, polite London learned that there was
some rivalry between Holland and Buckingham. Each
was begging her to make use of his house for the event.
Opinion, on the whole, was on the side of Holland who
appeared to have the prior claim. He was even thought
to have the best possible reason for wanting the child to
be born under his roof. The Bishop of Mende tore his
hair at this new scandal and even Charles looked dubious.
Finally Marie retired to the royal palace at Hampton
Court and there, in June, gave birth to her daughter,
Anne Marie de Lorraine.

The King and Queen moved out to Hampton Court
to escape the heat and plague in London and the Court
continued its gay round. Buckingham, dripping with
pearls, graced the christening ceremony, while Sir
Robert Carr, Master of the Privy Purse, wrote gloomily
in his diary : " There is not enough money to pay for
Madame de Chevreuse's nurse and midwife." The
country was bankrupt, the army and navy almost non-
existent, the Puritans were growling and disaster was
in the air, but the Court danced merrily on. Within a
few weeks after the birth of her daughter, Marie swam
across the Thames and set the tongues wagging as busily
as ever. Poet tasters wrote verses about the cold waters
of the river being set afire by the warmth of her lovely
person ; the wags dubbed her the " female Leander " and
the Puritans made scathing remarks about "French tricks.'*

86 MARIEDEROHAN

As each new escapade set the town in a roar, the
Bishop of Mende wrote desperately to RicheUeu, who,
in turn, retailed all the gossip to Louis. The com-
mands to return to France became more peremptory but
still Marie lingered from week to week. She had a
definite scheme in her mind and was hard at work on it,
behind the smoke-screen of mere frivolous gaiety. She
and Buckingham were indeed " closeted together " for
hours each day but the time was not all spent in amorous
dalliance. She had set her heart on furthering the
romance between the Duke and Queen Anne and refused
to entertain the thought of defeat. Since Anne could
not leave France, it was obvious that Buckingham
should go to her. How to get him there was the
problem.

The religious squabbles in the royal household seemed
likely to provide the needed opportunity. Henriette was
only sixteen, spoiled and petulant, with all her mother's
inability to see two sides of a question. She insisted on
having her own chapel at once and defeated all poor
Charles' efforts to manage it unobtrusively, without
offending the susceptibiHties of his Puritan subjects.
They quarrelled incessantly and Henriette was backed
up in all her querulous demands by her French household.
Letters went flying across the Channel and the affair
quickly developed into a first-class international family
row. Henriette scolded and pouted ; Charles dug in liis
heels and sulked ; Marie de Medici behaved like the
proverbial mother-in-law ; Richelieu became dignified ;
Louis muttered darkly, without supplying any construc-
tive ideas ; Buckingham quarrelled with Henriette.
Marie de Chevreuse, her eyes dancing with mischief,
sympathised with everybody in turn, but subtly stirred
the pot and kept it on the boil.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 87

In this affair she showed again her diaboHcal genius
for playing on the weaknesses and emotions of her
puppets. Henriette's petulance, Charles' feeble obstinacy,
the Queen-Mother's tendency to meddle and her readi-
ness to fly blindly to the defence of her favourite daughter
— all were called into play. They would have achieved
the desired result if Richelieu had not been so well-
informed. At every decisive point in the long duel
between them, Marie found herself outclassed because
the Cardinal had early, accurate information. This was
a case in point.

The Bishop of Mende, while tearing his hair over the
unseemly scandals in London, was watching the situation
and analyzing the motives behind it all. " The Earl of
Pembroke tells me," he wrote, " that it has been settled
between Madame de Chevreuse and the gallants (Holland
and Buckingham) that twice every year they would cross
the water under pretext of settUng difficulties between
the King and Queen of England, and that the Queen-
Mother, in fear that her daughter was badly treated,
would obtain this freedom for them."

It was Marie's plan in a nut-shell and would have
succeeded had it not been for the Cardinal's intelligence
service. When RicheUeu had shown Louis the Bishop's
letter and explained the plot to him, he put his foot down.
Under no conditions, he announced, would he allow
Buckingham to set foot in France again. If Henriette
were not happy in her marriage, she must make the best
of it. In the meantime, the Duke and Duchesse de
Chevreuse were commanded to return to France in
terms which allowed no further cavil.

It was check, for the moment, but by no means check-
mate. Since one plan had failed, Marie prepared to
make another. It never occurred to her to give up hope.

88 MARIE DE ROHAN

Anne and Buckingham loved each other and therefore
must be brought together, though kingdoms tottered.
Far too shrewd and intelligent to waste time bemoaning
a lost cause, Marie turned without a moment's delay to
retrieving the disaster. Since England had failed her,
the work must be done in France.

July found Marie and the Duke de Chevreuse back
again at the French Court with the little Anne Marie
de Lorraine. Marie, cool, amused, her slim and lovely
self again, received without embarrassment the con-
gratulations of the Court on her EngUsh triumphs.
Louis, of course, scowled and grumbled but the antics of
the surly oaf had never impressed her. Richelieu greeted
her with his thin-lipped smile and ironic comments. He
had made some caustic puns about her affair with Buck-
ingham, turning on the fact the " une chevre " is a
shegoat. Marie, when she heard of it, laughed but
chalked up another mark against the " scarlet pest "
of a Cardinal.

It must have been some satisfaction to her feelings
when letters arrived from King Charles singing her
praises enthusiastically. The dazzled monarch wrote to
Chevreuse : " Our dear cousin (Marie) carries back with
her the satisfaction that we lose by her return, and with
it the honour, the respect and the prayers and good
wishes of all sorts, not only of our Court but of all other
persons who have had the honour of seeing her or
hearing others speak of her." We may imagine the wry
smile of Richelieu, who was not without a sense of
humour, when he read this tribute. From what he had
been able to gather, the good citizens of London had
done little, for the past two months, but " hear others
speak of her " and it is doubtful if either honour or
respect were the immediate reaction. Perhaps a few

Henriette Marie

[Face page 88

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 89

more tolerant Puritans prayed for her lost soul, in the
intervals of damning her wholeheartedly.

The letter from Charles to Louis was even more com-
plimentary, although his incredibly involved literary
style makes it difficult to follow. He thanks Louis
enthusiastically for sending her to England, speaks of
her " charms and perfections," feels ** in duty bound to
express all the gratitude in Our power for so singular a
favour and also for the wisdom with which you made
your choice of a person in whom We found so many
causes of content and satisfaction." " I beg of you," he
continues, " to show me the kindness of assisting me to
render her the honour and thanks I owe her for the great
honour and felicity We have received through her, who
now returns to you, fitted to be the ornament of any
palace and the very worthy pledge of our mutual
affection."

What a tribute ! There is something a little pathetic
in the picture of Charles tying himself in epistolary knots
in his endeavour to express his admiration for Marie.
Unknown to him, she had done much to ruin his
domestic peace. She was soon to involve him in war
with France and ultimately helped to bring his throne
tumbling about his ears. That letter may have been
written in the very room from which he was later led
out to execution.

The miserable squabbles that had marred his honey-
moon dragged on interminably. Feeling that Henriette's
French attendants were largely to blame for her obstinate
attitude, Charles turned them all out of the palace and
shut them up in a mansion outside London. They
retaliated by taking with them the Queen's entire ward-
robe, leaving her without even a change of underclothing.
Charles was obliged to send a gentleman-in-waiting to

90 MARIEDEROHAN

demand Her Majesty's clothes. Some of them were
recovered but her jewels vanished.

Finally, in desperation, Charles sent a troop of soldiers
to evict the trouble-makers and had them all loaded
on board a ship for France. They departed in high
dudgeon, leaving a mountain of unpaid bills for Charles
to meet. Back in France with their plunder they broad-
cast their grievances and horrified the Court with tales
of the English King's cruelty to his wife.

Ultimately, Charles and Henriette fell in love with each
other, and their romance is one of the most tragically
beautiful stories in history. It took ten years, however,
for matters to adjust themselves. In the meantime, Marie
de Chevreuse had lost all interest in the young couple's
affairs. She had only helped the quarrel in order to bring
Buckingham to France. Since that had failed, she set
herself to gain her end in some other way.

In an attempt to bring Anne and Buckingham together,
she had used a King and Queen. Baffled in this manoeuvre
she fell back on castles and knights. Europe was her
chess board and crowned heads her pawns. Her new plan
was to involve war, armed rebellion and an attempt to
overthrow the dynasty. Thousands of lives were to be
lost and the safety of the realm imperilled, all to bring a
lover to his lady's arms. Truly, there is no accounting
for the vagaries of the feminine mind.

CHAPTER VI

FOR a few months after Marie's return to France
she remained inactive, apparently happily absorbed
in the aimless diversions of the Court. She flirted
and gossiped, hunted and danced with her usual abandon
and gave no hint that there was any thought in her golden
head beyond the amusement of the moment. Actually,
her fine clear brain was working at top speed and she was
busy spinning the web of the great intrigue which was to
shake the kingdom.

She studied the King with shrewd appraising eyes and
mentally dismissed him as negligible. His miserable
health indicated that his tenure of office would be short
and his feeble personality reduced him to the level of a
nonentity. Grown more dignified with the passing years,
Louis took his royal duties very seriously and attended
conscientiously to affairs of state, but he remained a
puppet. The brain that guided, the hand that pulled the
strings, the will that drove him forward were Richelieu's.
Inscrutable, indomitable, the great Cardinal stood out
head and shoulders above the crowd in mental stature.
Like a hooded eagle, he watched his prey and bided his
time. Like a thunderbolt he struck when the time was
ripe. The thin, secretive lips, the masterful nose with its
delicately chiselled nostrils, the sweeping intellectual
brow, stamped him for a born master of men. The pallor
induced by racking headaches, sleeplessness and poor
health, showed the physical weakness only overcome by
his indomitable will. With his driving energy, his subtle

91

92 MARIEDEROHAN

brain and fragile body, he was " keen and flexible, like
a sword that wears out its sheath."

When the tall masterful figure swept into a room, men
bowed in respect but drew back in fear. Richelieu walked
alone, friendless among his enemies ; but behind him,
like a shadow, came the *' grey Cardinal." This was
Father Joseph du Tremblay, his secretary and alter ego.
He alone could follow the devious paths of Richelieu's
diplomacy ; he alone had the trust and love of his master.
They were a curious pair : Richelieu, slim, tall, gorgeous
in his regal scarlet ; Father Joseph, burly, thickset,
paddling about on sandalled feet with his coarse grey
robe girdled by a rope. Two sharp eyes gleamed from
under his cowl and his face was lost in a huge bushy beard
which defied the efforts of any barber in the kingdom.

No one knew definitely how much those sharp eyes
saw. Men feared the worst and shivered when they saw
the grey Cardinal enter Richelieu's private room. It is
true that many whispered conferences were held there
which decided the fate of men or kingdoms. But on
other occasions those blunt fingers would be tender with
healing and the nimbly, gruff voice would say " Sqye^
tranquil^ mon fils^'' as the monk soothed the tortured
nerves of his master.

To Marie de Chevreuse, Richelieu loomed up as the
enemy who must be destroyed if her plans were to
succeed. He was the enemy of Anne and the great
obstacle in the way of her happiness. Since he was too
strong to tackle single-handed, she must find alUes.

During those months of inaction, Marie was studying
people, watching their reactions, weighing their possi-
bilities, mentally assigning them to the parts they were
to play in the great game. Most often her eyes rested
thoughtfully on Gaston, the younger brother of the King.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 93

Monsieur, to give Gaston his official courtesy title,
was at this time about twenty, and the darling of his
mother's heart. He was a handsome stripling with great
charm of manner and quite a reputation for gallantry.
Women, attracted by his good looks, shrank from his
sarcastic tongue. Men, worthy of the name, turned in
disgust from his foul-mindedness. Although he was the
heir-apparent to the throne, he was completely indifferent
to affairs of state. He lounged about all day, his hat on
the side of his head, his hands in his pockets, eternally
whistling the latest ribald song of the streets. At night
he would slip out of the Louvre to find amusement
among his spiritual affinities in the squalid purlieus of
Paris. Having no mental resources, he depended for
amusement upon the group of undesirables about him
and was possessed of such a demon of restlessness that
he could not even stand still long enough to be dressed.
His valets would follow liim about the room, throwing
his clothes on, helter-skelter, as they could catch him. His
modern prototype loafs about in private bars all
day, sniggering over smutty jokes. Lacking such con-
genial occupation, Gaston sauntered about the Louvre
with his attendants, reducing every decent woman to
agonies of embarrassment by his coarse wit and basking
in the smiles of his doting mother. De Retz, who later
plays a large part in this chronicle, summed Gaston up in
one of his trenchant thumb-nail sketches : *' His manners
were incredibly easy and he possessed everything neces-
sary to the making of a man except courage. He plotted
because he had not the strength to resist persons who
dragged him into their intrigues and then betrayed them
because he had not the courage to support them."

As a man, Gaston was a chicken-livered weakling and
beneath contempt. As heir-apparent to the throne, he

94 MARIEDEROHAN

was the ace of trumps and, properly played, would win
the game. In the meantime, Marie was collecting the rest
of her cards.

The natural enemies of Richelieu were to be found
among her own class, nobles who resented his growing
prestige and were jealous of his influence over the King.
The Duke de Nevers, the Duke de Longueville and
others were quite ready to join a conspiracy against him.

The Duke de Conde, First Prince of the Blood Royal,
had two passions, money and his dignity. The overthrow
of Richelieu would open the way to greater opportunities
for himself, all of which might be made to yield a profit.
He had personal slights to avenge as well. Conde, for all
his grandeur, was invincibly opposed to washing him-
self, and dressed in clothes that would shame an Arme-
nian peddler. Richelieu had wounded liim in all his
tenderest places by ordering him to clean himself before
appearing at Court.

The Duke de Vendome and his brother, the Cardinal-
Prince, were the sons of Henry IV by Gabrielle d'Estrees
and had inherited their royal father's energy and aggresive
spirit. They cherished a whole-hearted contempt for the
dismal weakling who sat on the throne and were heard
to declare, under the influence of some good wine, that
** Bastards rule as well as those born in wedlock." Any
upheaval which would shake the reigning dynasty was,
in their estimation, a step in the right direction, and
would afford opportunities for resolute men with the
blood of the hero of Ivry in their veins. They too fell
in line.

Then came the Count de Soissons, whom we last saw
nursing a grievance because Henriette was to marry
King Charles. Surly, turbulent, self-centred, Soissons
now wanted to marry the heiress of the Montpensier

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 95

family and was furious because he could not get the
royal consent. He hated Richelieu and Louis on general
principles and was quite prepared to take part in any
scheme which would annoy them.

Last of all came Marie's relative, the Duke de Rohan,
now the official leader of the Huguenots. Under the
influence of Marie de Medici, Louis had taken from his
Protestant subjects many of the privileges granted to
them by his father. As a result the Huguenot party as a
whole was only too ready to take advantage of any unrest
to fight for religious freedom. The Duke de Rohan,
warned of possible disturbances, held himself ready to
seize his opportunity.

Marie went about her work with consummate skill. A
subtle question here, a sly hint dropped there, a casual
remark that fanned a smouldering grievance into flame,
a whispered confidence that gave hope of a better day
when the nobles should come into their own. Half the
great houses of France were involved but the secret was
well kept and Richelieu's cold grey eyes, watching from
under the hooded lids, saw nothing. The work was
done underground while, on the surface, his enemies
moved about the Court, casual and elegant, giving no
sign.

They were waiting for the psychological moment to
strike when the signal was given by an announcement
that a marriage was to be arranged between Gaston and
Mademoiselle de Montpensier. It was a shock to the
Court since it had been assumed that Gaston would
marry some foreign princess. In arranging the match,
however, the Queen-Mother and Richelieu showed real
intelligence. The lady had an income estimated at half a
million francs a year, an incredible sum for those days.
Her estates comprised large areas of France and would.

f)G MARIEDEROHAN

in the hands of a noble, constitute a danger. Secured to
the throne, they would give added stability. Madem-
oiselle de Montpensier was said to be personally attrac-
tive and Gaston was delighted with the proposed match.

To Marie the scheme sounded the death-knell of her
plans. The destruction of Richelieu and the overthrow
of Louis were useless unless she could thereby secure
the happiness of the Queen. To Anne, a member of the
proud house of Hapsburg with the blood of generations
of kings in her veins, the thought of retiring from the
scene as a mere childless widow was insupportable.
Behind the plan to overthrow the great Cardinal was
another, jealously guarded from the conspirators. This
was to remove Louis, either by death or abdication, and
put Gaston on the throne with Anne as his queen. At
all costs this marriage must be prevented, and the time
was short.

Marie cast about to find someone whose influence over
Gaston would counteract that of his mother. With her
unerring ability to pick the right tool for her work, she
chose the Marshal d'Ornano, who had been Gaston's
tutor and governor for many years. The old gentleman
was ill in bed at the time and found himself, to his
intense gratification, the object of the most solicitous
attention from some of the ladies of the Court. Both the
jolly Princess de Conti and Mademoiselle de Verneuil
visited him and brought him delicacies. Last and best of
all came the ravishing Duchesse de Chevreuse. Marie had
called in her two faitliful allies to prepare the way. Now
she came to deliver the coup de grace herself. The old
Marshal, who was incredibly ugly, was not used to such
attention and fell an easy victim. By methods best known
to herself Marie won his aged heart and made him her
devoted slave. Then she put him to work.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 97

Gaston, delighted with his approaching betrothal, was
astonished to find that his old tutor did not think much
of it. When pressed, the Marshal admitted that he was
sorry to see his pupil fobbed off with a mere commoner,
when a greater destiny awaited him. Gaston was
interested, excited by the hint of mystery. D'Ornano
discreetly pointed out that Louis, with his feeble con-
stitution, could hardly live long. Gaston would then
succeed him and have his choice of all the eligible brides
in Europe. Why throw himself away on a mere Duke's
daughter when the dark-eyed daughter of the King of
Spain would be a widow ?

Gaston caught the idea and wondered how he could
have been so blind as not to see it for himself. He had
an eye for a pretty woman and was already quite aware
of the charms of his sister-in-law. The prospect of being
her husband was distinctly alluring and was well worth
waiting for.

Swelling with dreams of grandeur, seeing himself, in
imagination, already King of France with Anne by his
side, Gaston threw all Richelieu's plans into disorder by
loftily refusing to marry the Montpensier heiress. Marie
de Medici screamed and scolded, Richelieu questioned
shrewdly, but all to no purpose. Gaston merely per-
sisted in his refusal without giving any reason. He could
hardly explain that he was waiting for his brother to die
so that he could marry his widow.

D'Ornano had done his work well and the marriage
was delayed. Now, while Gaston marked time, Marie
swiftly drew together the threads of her weaving. The
nobles were ready with their armies, and Soissons had
offered to finance the scheme to the extent of 40,000
crowns on condition that Gaston refused the match.
With this money, Spanish mercenaries were hired and

98 MARIE DE ROHAN

were waiting on the border for the signal. Savoy, on
whom Richelieu had recently inflicted a crusliing defeat,
was prepared to send an army to attack in the South, and
there were restless Huguenots in the North, spoihng for
a fight.

During all this time Marie had been in close touch
with England, sending and receiving messages by an
Englishman called Montagu. He was a dark, clean-cut,
immaculate young gentleman, self-contained and rigidly
conventional. His reserve and conventionality lasted for
fully five minutes after his first meeting with Marie de
Chevreuse. Then they were laid, a humble love-offering,
at her little feet.

It had been planned that an English fleet, under
Buckingham, should attack the coast simultaneously
with the risings all over France. Charles rather shrank
from such an unprovoked act of war, but Buckingham's
influence over liim was so strong that he gave his reluc-
tant consent. The usual Stuart poverty caused some
delay. Charles, having allowed Buckingham to help
himself lavislily from the royal funds, found himself
unable to outfit a fleet and he was doubtful of getting a
grant from Parliament.

With armies on each frontier and the fuse laid all over
France, Buckingham was holding up the whole scheme,
for he insisted on having a share in it himself. Finally he
wrecked it by his indiscretion. Marie had organized half
of France, Savoy and Spain without allowing the secret
to get out. Buckingham and Holland between them took
the whole English Court into their confidence and the
rumour finally reached the ever-open ears of the Bishop
of Mende. Immediately he wrote to his cousin and
patron. Cardinal Richelieu : " The King of England is
expecting great results from the understanding between

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 99

Monsieur (Gaston) and the Queen of France, and nearly
the whole Court is conspiring in this scheme."

Richelieu had scented trouble in the air. This letter
gave liim all the definite information he needed. As usual,
the excellence of his espionage system was only equalled
by the imbecile indiscretion of his enemies. Daily
sheaves of reports from hundreds of spies were laid
before him, part of the intelligence service that covered
France and adjacent countries. Daily he skimmed them
and filed away the salient facts in his marvellous brain.
He already knew of the troops on the frontiers, of the
tenant armies in the provinces, of Vendome's remarks
about bastards ruling as well as legitimate children, of
Gaston's refusal to marry Mademoiselle de Montpensier
and of his recent intimacy with his former tutor. Now,
with the letter from the Bishop of Mende, the scattered
parts of the puzzle fell into place and Richelieu saw the
whole scheme.

Unerringly he put his finger on the vital spot. Armies
might threaten at the borders, but the immediate danger
was at home, right at hand. Without a word of warning,
he struck, and d'Ornano, arrested in bed, was thrown
into prison. It was a shrewd stroke and staggered the
conspirators. They leaped to the conclusion that the
deadly Cardinal knew all their plans and they waited
nervously for the next blow. Gaston, in uncontrollable
panic, threw up the sponge and offered to marry the
heiress. Only Marie kept her head. She found out that
d'Ornano had not betrayed any of his friends and assured
her fellow-conspirators that, in any case, he knew very
little. Decisive action could still save the situation, if
only Gaston could be kept in line.

Rallied by her gay confidence, the Vendome brothers
agreed to be responsible for the " decisive action,"

lOO MARIE DE ROHAN

which was the assassination of Richelieu. She, for her
part, undertook the more difficult task of stiffening
Gaston's weak resolution and preventing the marriage.
Once again she looked about for the tool to use, and it is
at this point that the ill-starred Chalais comes into the
picture.

Henri de Talleyrand, Count de Chalais, was of good
family and had been one of the " children-of-honour "
in attendance on the royal infants. When Louis came to
the throne he made his former playmate Master of the
Wardrobe, a position wliich put him on terms of
intimacy with the King.

In many ways, Chalais was the ideal man for Marie's
purpose. Since he was in the King's confidence, he had
excellent opportunities of knowing what was going on,
and his friendsliip with Gaston was of vital importance.
On the other hand, he was young and possibly indiscreet.
Marie could only hope for the best, and there was no
time to be lost.

Her first step was the subjugation of Chalais. The
youth had already shown signs of being enamoured of
the lovely Duchess, and had amused the Court by
following her about and gazing at her with adoring eyes.
Intent on her schemes, she had hardly noticed the
twenty-year-old lad, but now she turned those gorgeous
eyes full on him and smiled. Dizzy with rapture, he was
at her feet, her slave to command. He, too, was put to
work.

Night after night he would steal up to Gaston's room
in his dressing-gown and the two would spend hours
talking. Gaston wavered, Chalais urged, argued, per-
suaded, promised, did everything in his power to bolster
up the weak will and fire the febrile imagination of the
Prince.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS lOl

Richelieu was now on the alert and his eyes were
everywhere. He discovered this sudden intimacy between
Gaston and the Master of the Wardrobe and drew his
own conclusions. A shrewd judge of character, he knew
that, in Chalais' heart, love and ambition strove for
mastery. Deftly he set himself to play on the youth's
cupidity and did it to such good purpose that Chalais
offered " to get the match accepted if he were offered
sometliing good." RicheHeu evidently offered some-
thing superlatively good because Chalais was even better
than his word. He not only switched the feeble-minded
Gaston completely around in favour of the match, but he
also warned Richelieu of the Vendomes plot to assassi-
nate him.

When the warning reached him, Richelieu was at
Fleury. Close on the heels of Chalais' messenger came a
party of the conspirators who were an advance guard for
the Vendomes. He greeted them cordially and oflFered
them refreshment. While they were still eating, he
stepped into his coach and drove away at top speed.
Early in the morning Gaston was awakened by the
appearance in his bedroom of his redoubtable foe. " You
should arise earlier when you are hunting. Monsieur,"
said the Cardinal blandly. ** The bird has escaped from
the snare." Then he continued his journey to Versailles
where he joined the King.

His vengeance was swift and sure, and this time the
Vendome brothers felt his heavy hand. Invited to visit
the King, they were arrested and put in prison. At the
same time the King sent for Mile, de Montpensier to
come to Paris so that the marriage might take place at
once.

The double warning was calculated to frighten the
bravest conspirator, but the intrepid Marie only counter-

I02 MARIE DE ROHAN

attacked. Once again those devastating eyes were
turned on Chalais, and a few shrewd questions dis-
covered the secret of liis treachery. Rochefoucauld
writes : "In the midst of the affair, and despite all his
pledges. Monsieur de Chalais became reconciled to
Richelieu, but Madame de Chevreuse reproached him so
bitterly and urged liim so strongly that — nothing being
impossible to a woman of so much beauty and wit — he
was unable to resist her."

Some writers say that Chalais was to prick the King
with a poisoned pin while adjusting his ruff; others say
that Louis was to be shut up in a monastery until he
abdicated or until the confinement ruined his feeble
constitution. There is no way of ascertaining the truth.
We do know for certain that Chalais set to work on
Gaston with the result that in a few days the spineless
fool was again refusing to marry his heiress. He should
have been called Reuben — " unstable as water."

Since Mile, de Montpensier was coming to Paris, it
was essential that Gaston should go elsewhere. Marie
had arranged that he should flee with Chalais, but
Gaston delayed interminably and at the last moment
refused to start until he had had his dinner. That
dinner, in all probability, cost him a crown. Again the
Cardinal struck, and tliis time the victim was poor,
foolish Chalais.

D'Ornano had been arrested in May, the Vendomes
in June. It was July 8 when the ominous gates of the
prison at Nantes clanged shut on the twenty-year old
pawn who had tried to cry " check " to the Red Bishop.

Chalais' first thought was to yell for help. He wrote
dozens of letters to Marie, protesting liis devotion and
asking her assistance. *' It is not at this hour," he wrote,
" that I first recognize the divinity of your beauty but I

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I03

have now begun to learn that you must be served Hke a
goddess, since I am not permitted to prove my love
without running the risk of my life. Take care of it, then,
since it is utterly dedicated to you and, if you judge it
worthy, preserve it."

Another letter indicates that she had accepted his
devotion without succumbing to his wooing : '' Since
my life depends on you, I fear not to hazard it for you,
to make you understand that I love you. Accept then,
this testimony and do not condemn my temerity. If those
beautiful eyes that I adore regard tliis letter with favour,
it augurs well for my fortune ; and if the contrary-
happens, I no longer desire my hberty because in it I
shall find my punishment." These letters were smuggled
out of the prison by Chalais' servant, whose sister
dehvered them to Marie. She sent back verbal messages,
which were relayed through the servant : " Madame
told me that she does not send you any reply and that her
life and liberty depend upon it. She will serve you with-
out writing and kisses your hands a hundred thousand
times."

Chalais, immured in a cell far underground, cut off
from all communication with his friends, drew little con-
solation from these messages and could not understand
why his mistress never wrote to him. Finally he began to
suspect that she had brought him to this awful place and
then callously left him to his fate. Marie, who never
would nor could desert a friend, was straining every
nerve in his behalf, but the darkness and loneliness
preyed on Chalais until he lost hope and turned for help
to the Cardinal. He felt, quite rightly, that Richelieu was
under an obligation to him for his warning of the plot at
Fleury and tried to ingratiate himself with his former
master. *' I dare swear," he wrote, " that you will find

104 MARIE DE ROHAN

yourself in great need of a very zealous, affectionate and
tolerably watchful man such as, your lordship, your
humble servant." Getting no answer, he wrote to the
King himself : " May it please you to remember that I
only belonged to the faction thirteen days. Permit me,
Sire, to appeal to Your Majesty with tears in my eyes,
and as the most repentant of men, to grant me pardon
out of your extreme goodness."

Whether it was the poisoned pin or the faulty arith-
metic that hardened Louis' heart, he vouchsafed no
response to the appeal of his former playmate.

The silence, the loneliness, the ignorance of his fate
sapped all Chalais' courage and finally drove him mad.
He beat his handsome head against the cruel stone walls ;
he wept and raved and blasphemed. Last of all, he
screamed that he was only a tool and that he had been
used by others to gain their own ends. Richelieu, who
was no mean psychologist, had only been waiting for
that. Chalais was brought up from his cell and ques-
tioned. He was told that his friends had deserted him
and that Madame de Chevreuse already had another lover.
By skilful questions and insinuations, he was trapped
into all sorts of admissions and finally mentioned names
that gave Richelieu the information he wanted.

Marie, having tried every other way without avail,
finally humbled herself and went to the Cardinal to beg
for the life of her humble adorer. He greeted her with
a thin-lipped smile of triumph and handed her Chalais'
confession, in wliich he had revenged liimself for the
apparent desertion of his mistress.

"... She told me that if I gave myself over to her
utterly she would scorn the rest of the world. I failed in
judgment but I swear before God that, though I was
aware of the faction, I never was its counsellor. ... It

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS lOj

is very difficult not to be deceived by such devilish
artifices, for who could escape a Princess so kindly
looked on at the Courts of two of the greatest Queens
in the world, whose manners are so easy and her rouge
so well laid on. . . .'*

We may imagine Richelieu's subtle smile as he waited
for her to reach, in her reading, that last waspish little
sting about the rouge. The reaction was what one might
expect. Marie had humbled herself to save a brainless
young weakling, only to find that he had betrayed her.
She was loyal comrade enough to scorn treachery and
enough of a natural woman to resent catty remarks about
her make-up. Her comments while short, were pungent,
and Richelieu carefully retailed them to his prisoner.

Again his psychology was sound. Chalais wrote to
him : " Since you have done me the honour to tell me
that she has slandered me, I no longer have any object
but that of saving myself." He retaliated for the sup-
posed " slander '* by making even more disastrous reve-
lations, implicating Marie, the Queen, Gaston and all the
plotters. When RicheHeu had wrung the lad dry of all
he knew, he appointed a special commission to try him
on August 5.

On the following day Gaston was married unpro-
testingly to Mile, de Montpensier, the Cardinal himself
officiating.

Apparently the removal from his cell to the council
chamber restored Chalais to his normal sanity and his
comment on the marriage was not without an admirably
dry humour : " They have caught Monsieur on the hop.
May the Devil take me if there was ever a man so bold in
the management of State affairs as the Lord Cardinal."

With the return of sanity came courage, and Chalais on
trial for his life behaved in a way worthy of his good

Io6 MARIE DE ROHAN

blood. He absolutely repudiated his confession, denied
that any of the persons mentioned were guilty and paid
a public tribute to the charm, virtue and innocence of
Madame de Chevreuse. It was a fine gesture and
seriously hampered Richelieu, who had counted on a
public accusation against the conspirators. Chalais,
however, had hopelessly incriminated himself and the
death penalty was a foregone conclusion.

The sentence as pronounced by the Court condemned
him to torture first, in order that he might betray his
associates, but this was remitted by the King at the
entreaties of the lad's mother.

Richelieu did, however, make one last attempt to
obtain the necessary evidence. The officers who came
to Chalais to announce his sentence made every effort to
induce him to sign a confession but without success.
" The last deposition I made," he said, " is entirely false
in that which concerns a certain lady. What I said was
for the purpose of saving my life." The officer pointed
out that he himself had seen him writing the incriminat-
ing letters to Richelieu, but still Chalais refused to be
trapped : " What I have written, I wrote in the extremity
of rage and by reason of an erroneous belief which I
entertained that she had deserted me."

Far from desertion, Marie had not yet given up hope
and made one last desperate effort to gain time. The
executioners of Nantes and of all the surrounding towns
were heavily bribed to disappear and to take their
weapons with them. On the day of execution, no heads-
man could be found. It was natural to count on delay until
an official executioner could be brought from elsewhere,
but two convicts were found in the prison who agreed to
act as substitutes in exchange for free pardons. Then the
axe was missing but a heavy sword was hastily brought.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I07

The friends of the condemned man meant well, but
the result of their intervention was unmitigated horror.
The proxy executioner overestimated either his skill or
his courage, but he made up by persistence for what he
lacked in strength. One blow should have been sufficient
to sever the gallant head, but after twenty attempts,
Chalais was still writhing, moaning, gasping prayers.
Finding the sword inadequate, the executioner fell back
on a carpenter's adze, and it took thirty-six hacks to put
the tortured lad out of his agony.

There was a logical motive for the disastrous attempt
to delay the execution. Gaston could not avoid the
marriage but he was in a position to dictate terms and
could easily have asked for the life of his old play-
fellow. Richelieu and the Queen-Mother were so set on
the match that they would have granted his request. The
miserable weakling, however, had only one idea — to
save his own skin. He made a full statement of his part
in the plot and betrayed all his associates. Among other
revelations, he told the King and Richelieu that Anne
had repeatedly entreated him to refuse the marriage. He
also said that Madame de Chevreuse, two years before,
had advised him to remain unmarried, promising that,
in the event of the King's death, he could marry the
Queen.

Chalais was undoubtedly guilty of treason, and so
deserved to die, but he was made the scapegoat for all.
D'Ornano died of fever in his prison before he could be
brought to trial. This was another blow to Richelieu who
thus lost his last chance of obtaining corroborative
evidence against the other conspirators. He admitted
that he was " infinitely vexed " and wrote to the King :
** The justice of God wished to anticipate yours." The
Vendomes only suffered a short imprisonment while

lo8 MARIEDEROHAN

Gaston gained a wealthy bride and was given the appan-
age of Chartres as an additional inducement to loyalty.

The other nobles escaped unscathed, to Richelieu's
unconcealed annoyance. He wrote in his diary : " One
cannot uproot them all, for many of them are of such
high nobility that one cannot think of punishing them.
They continually inflame the relatives of those whom one
chastises and the women will not give over their mad-
ness."

Even Marie could not be brought to trial in the
absence of direct evidence. The Duke de Chevreuse,
although related to the royal family of France, was a
member of the independent House of Lorraine, and as
such, was not officially a French subject. Undue severity
to Marie would antagonize both Lorraine and the
English Court, not to mention half the noble houses of
France. Richelieu knew whom to thank for the whole
conspiracy, and wrote in his memoirs : " She has done
more harm than any other person," but the only punish-
ment he could inflict was banishment.

Marie, who had retired to Dampierre, received formal
orders to go to the Chateau du Verger, which belonged
to her brother. She was to consider herself a prisoner
there until further orders. At tliis the Duchess flew into
a royal rage. " Did they tliink," she demanded, " that
she was only equal to flirtations. She would show them,
etc." She informed everyone within earshot that the
King was an incapable idiot, who took orders from
" that buffoon of a Cardinal " and that she would have
every Frenchman in England treated as she was being
treated in France.

In the Queen's apartments, too, there was weeping,
wailing and gnashing of teeth. Anne, who could not
bear the thought of being deprived of her loyal friend

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I09

and supporter, protested vigorously, but neither tears
nor tantrums moved Richelieu from his resolution.
Marie was to go to her dismal retirement and Chevreuse
was ordered to expedite the process. He was on his way
to Dampierre when he received his instructions and was
" extremely distressed " but apparently made no effort
to save her.

" I shall be at Dampierre to-morrow morning," he
wrote to the King, " to give orders for the departure of
my wife with all the obedience I owe to Your Majesty's
commands."

When he reached Dampierre, the dutiful husband
found that Marie had not waited for him to give any
orders. She had slipped away in the darkness, evaded
the watchers and was soon safely over the borders of
Lorraine.

CHAPTER VII

RICHELIEU may well have groaned when he
learned that the will-of-the-wisp had eluded
him and was still at large with infinite oppor-
tunity to make miscliief. In his memoirs he wrote " She
had a fine mind and a potent beauty v/hich she knew how
to use to advantage. She was never disheartened by any
misfortune and always retained her evenness of temper."
Marie proved him right in his analysis.

At this stage in her career she had good cause to be
disheartened. Her young adorer was dead, her friends
scattered, her plans were wrecked and she herself was a
fugitive. Nevertheless she arrived at Nancy, the capital
of Lorraine, as gay and insouciant as ever and proceeded
to use her " potent beauty " to the best advantage.

Marie might have been expected to admit failure but
she seemed ignorant of the very meaning of the word.
A King and Queen had failed ; a Prince, six Dukes and
a Count had failed. Now she was going to use as her
pawns a princeling and a few assorted European coun-
tries. Admitted that she had a sublimely feminine lack
of proportion, the fact remains that Marie de Chevreuse
was the most magnificently, heroically, idiotically loyal
friend who ever emboiled two kingdoms to bring a
lover to his lady's arms.

At the Court of Lorraine, Marie repeated the triumph
she had enjoyed in England. She was so adored and
feted that her lovely head might weU have been turned.
The Court poet wrote ecstatically :

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS III

" It is you, Madame, whom France has recognized as
the luminary of all perfections, who are now to receive
the same approbation from our eyes, our voices and our
hearts. We confess that Lorraine has never beheld such
charms, the more glorious in that they are not foreign."

This last phrase refers to the fact that Marie was by
marriage a Guise, of the cadet branch of the House of
Lorraine.

Duke Charles IV himself was completely infatuated
with his guest and followed her around like a moon-
struck sheep. He was an attractive creature, long and
lean and rangy, with a mop of fair hair and raised eye-
brows that gave him a look of perpetual astonishment.
Although the absolute monarch of his little realm, he
was of limited intelligence and easily influenced.

In a surprisingly short time, he was wax in Marie's
slender but skilful hands. He became the ardent cham-
pion of his oppressed lady-love and was easily persuaded
to take part in her new schemes to overthrow the govern-
ment of France. He wrote a personal letter to Louis,
pleading her cause and asking that she be allowed to
return to France with a free pardon. Richelieu's answer
was to strengthen and garrison the fortresses on the
border between France and Lorraine. It was a subtle
tribute to Marie's prowess as a disturber of the peace.

Marie, meanwhile, moved from Nancy to Bar-le-Duc,
near the frontier, and again plunged into far-flung
intrigues. The old guard of nobles, having escaped any
ill consequences from their former attempt, rallied
around, eager to renew the struggle. Charles had an
army of Lorrainers ready and, once again, Spanish troops
waited at the border. The Count de Soissons, who had
fled to Turin, was stirring up trouble in the North
Italian states. Venice and Savoy signified their willing-

112 MARIE DE ROHAN

ness to intervene and the Austrian Emperor was backing
the conspirators.

Marie now called on the Duke de Rohan to incite the
Huguenots to rise. She pointed out that the strength of
this new coalition promised a unique opportunity for the
Huguenots to gain further concessions if not absolute
independence. They fortified their cities, put an army
in the field and raised the banner of revolt. Richelieu
promptly took active measures and laid siege to the
strong Huguenot " city of refuge," La Rochelle.

The Huguenots turned to England for help and
Buckingham easily persuaded Parliament to sanction the
raising of a fleet to go to the rescue of the beleaguered
Protestants. The appearance of the English fleet was to
be the signal for the general rising.

The little house at Bar-le-Duc was like the centre of
a spider-web with its filmy strands stretching all over
Europe. Often, at night, the tall cloaked figure of the
Duke would slip discreetly through the door. His visits
were an open secret and afforded an excuse for the
mystery that shrouded the place. Unknown to the
general public, other cloaked, mysterious figures passed
through that Httle door, delivered their despatches and
disappeared again into the night.

Most important of all the messengers was the suave
Montagu, who was once again the chief link between
Marie de Chevreuse and Buckingham. Trim, composed,
impeccably neat after the most hazardous journeys, he
would appear at intervals, always carrying a bulky bag
of letters. Dynamite was milky and innocuous beside
the contents of that bag, and for that reason Montagu
was careful never to set foot on French soil.

It was at a time like this that the essential greatness of
Richelieu showed itself. He was a veritable Mussolini,

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS II3

controlling army and navy, finances, the administration
of justice and all the departments of government. The
Ministers were mere puppets, directed by his strong
hand and incisive brain. On him rested all the awful
responsibility of steering the ship of state through the
coming storm. To cap the climax Louis fell dangerously
ill and Richelieu was obliged to spend day and night at
his side, transacting all the state business from the royal
bedroom.

Threatened on tliree sides by foreign powers, faced
with a serious civil war, driven almost beyond endurance
by overwork and the worry caused by Marie's intrigues,
the Cardinal was forced to stay up all night with Louis
and humour the querulous invalid.

By superhuman efforts he managed to build and equip
a small navy, raise an army and collect materials for the
siege of La Rochelle. With all this, he found time to
study the mass of reports that poured in daily from his
spies, and, from them, to estimate the dangers that
threatened him. He knew all about the little house at
Bar-le-Duc, all about Montagu, all about the bulky bag.
He wanted that bag, wanted it badly, but he knew that
Montagu kept beyond the reach of his arm.

Success at last lay within Marie's grasp. Buckingham
had actually sailed with a strong force to relieve La
Rochelle, and the troops of Lorraine and Spain were
waiting for the success of his attack to launch their own.
Gaston, too, was eligible again, his young wife having
died in giving birth to a daughter. The King was at
death's door and Richelieu at bay. Things were looking
very black for him, when the beneficent power that
looks after cardinals saved the situation.

Fontenay-Mareuil said of Buckingham that " he was
so frivolous and vain that he was quite unfitted for

114 MARIE DE ROHAN

serious business and still less for war." This expedition
proved conclusively the truth of tliis statement. When
he reached La Rochelle, the siege trains were not in place
and the blockading of the harbour was barely begun.
He could have raised the siege easily and thus given the
signal for the concerted attack. Instead, he landed his
men at one of the forts, lost many of them in the process,
failed to reach liis objective and sailed back to England
for more troops.

At the same time, Montagu was careless for once, and,
in the dark, came too close to the frontier. One of
Richelieu's spies had followed the messenger from
England and saw his opportunity. Notifying an officer
with a patrol that Montagu was within his grasp, he
guided the troops to a place where, by a short dash into
Lorraine, they could capture him. Caught unawares,
Montagu and his precious bag were carried back into
France. The envoy was rushed to the Bastille and the
papers delivered to Richelieu. Nor was that all. On top
of these two amazing strokes of good fortune, Louis,
who had been given up for dead, recovered, and in a few
weeks was with his army before La Rochelle. While
Buckingham delayed in England, the harbour was
blockaded with sunken stone boats and the siege works
finished.

After further delays, caused by Buckingham's ineffi-
ciency and Charles' lack of funds, the fleet was again
ready to sail. Then the incredible thing happened that
put an end, at one lightning stroke, to Buckingham's
meteoric career and to Marie's cherished hopes. A half-
mad fanatic called Felton went to the Duke's rooms as
he was preparing to sail for France, called him to the
door and stabbed him to the heart.

Three months later La Rochelle surrendered to

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS II5

Richelieu and the Huguenot revolt was crushed. The
whole formidable coalition was dissipated like smoke and
Richelieu had triumphed again.

This second defeat left Marie de Chevreuse, for once,
bereft of courage and fighting spirit. Mere failure of the
conspiracy would have spurred her to renewed efforts.
It was the death of Buckingham that crushed her.

In a sense, her grief for the dead Duke was personal,
but it was not the grief of the disconsolate lover. Their
affaire du caur in London had been but a casual interlude,
a duel with buttoned foils between two consummate
swordsmen. The deeper affections of each were engaged
elsewhere but it was apparently impossible for any man
to associate with Marie without falling under the spell
of her physical magnetism. Marie, for her part, was far
too full of the sheer joy of loving to reject any transient
pleasure that offered itself. To her, love was a perennial
pastime, the salt that savoured the solid food of intrigue.

It was not sorrow at the loss of a loved one that
reduced Marie to a state of complete dejection. Bucking-
ham interested her chiefly as one of the two figures about
whom all her schemes had revolved. She had intrigued
for years with the sole idea of bringing Anne and the
Englishman together. With his death, the whole
business seemed suddenly futile. To her broken spirit,
any further intrigue seemed like " flogging dead horses
to the moon."

For days she wandered about the little house at
Bar-le-Duc like a woman in a trance, while the great
edifice she had built up fell about her in ruins. It was
inevitable that she would return to the great game of
intrigue but, for the time being, she sat with hands
relaxed and her mind dazed with the sudden shock.
When the intrigue was at its height, she had given

Il6 MARIE DE ROHAN

birth to a daughter, Charlotte Marie de Lorraine. With
the collapse of her plans, she had a resurgence of maternal
feeling. The baby absorbed all her attention and she
longed to be with her family in the peace of Dampierre.

While she waited patiently in exile, Richelieu was
gathering up the loose ends of the conspiracy and
putting them in order. His triumph had been absolute
but was not marred this time by any executions. The
only blood that flowed was Buckingham's, if we except
the casualties in the heroic defence of La Rochelle.

With all the trumps in his hands, the Cardinal could
afford to be generous. He even seemed eager to con-
ciliate all the parties involved in the conspiracy. After
all, he could hardly imprison the Duke of Lorraine, or
impeach the King of England for High Treason. Only
Montagu, caught red-handed with the incriminating
documents, was in any danger.

When Anne of Austria heard of the envoy's arrest she
nearly went mad with terror. She paced up and down
her room, wringing her hands, and could neither eat nor
sleep. She was afraid that the papers he carried would
incriminate her and her guilty conscience made her a prey
to the most dismal forebodings.

Finally she sent for her faithful servant, La Porte, and
had him admitted to her room at midnight. It was taking
a fearful risk but she was desperate. She told him of her
fears and implored him to get word to Montagu not to
betray her. La Porte managed to get in touch with the
envoy on his way to the Bastille, mingled with the guard
in the darkness and exchanged a few words with the
prisoner. We have his own account of the adventure.
He asked Montagu if the Queen were in danger. " Mon-
tagu replied that she was neither directly nor indirectly
named in the papers and assured me that, if he were

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS II7

questioned, he would rather die than say ought that
would injure her."

In those grim days, being " questioned " was apt to
involve one of those subterranean chambers where ques-
tions were asked with the aid of the rack, the thumbscrew,
and a dozen other unspeakable engines for inflicting
extreme agony without the merciful release of death.
Montagu, knowing this, faced the prospect calmly.
Anne, when she heard his promise, " danced for joy."
Perhaps Marie had a sense of the fitness of things when
she planned a marriage between Anne and Gaston. They
were a well-matched pair, self-centred, cowardly, indiff-
erent to the fate of others.

Fortunately, Richelieu's all-embracing triumph made
him lenient. With the Huguenots crushed, Buckingham
dead and the conspiracy at an end, he saw that nothing
was to be gained by severity. Montagu was treated with
the courtesy due to a distinguished, if involuntary,
guest, and was released shortly afterwards. In an inter-
view with the Cardinal after his release he said frankly
that : *' The whole misunderstanding had arisen out of
the refusal to receive Buckingham in Paris and the ill-
treatment meted out to Madame de Chevreuse." This is
confirmed by the comment made by Madame de Motte-
ville : *' The Duke of Buckingham set up a quarrel
between the two crowns solely to create the necessity
for his own return to France to negotiate the treaty."

Now a dagger had pierced the passionate heart ; the
foolish, restless brain was at rest, and the beautiful slim
body lay quietly in its grave. The treaty was negotiated,
but without the assistance of the Duke of Buckingham.
The intriguing Duchess, however, figured in it to an
extent unbelievable in these days of impersonal inter-
national relations.

Il8 MARIE DE ROHAN

In the preliminary diplomatic discussions, the clause
on which the English ambassadors insisted most strongly
was the forgiveness of Madame de Chevreuse. Richelieu,
who discusses the matter most frankly in his memoirs,
explains that King Charles was determined to win his
point even though he was unwilling to have her name
appear in the formal documents. " She was a Princess
much beloved in England," he writes, '* and one for
whom the King entertained an especial regard. He
would be greatly obliged if His Majesty (Louis) would
not displease him in this."

Richelieu's response was characteristic. He realized
fully how much of the responsibility for the recent
crisis rested on Marie's shoulders, but he was shrewd
enough to see that she could be as valuable an ally as
she was a dangerous enemy. He wrote to the French
Ambassador in England : " His IMajest)" finds great
difficulty as concerning the return of Madame de
Chevreuse, who has done a great deal of mischief and
may do more in future : and may, for the same reasons,
do good and bring advantage to the King's service."

Writing to Louis, Richelieu speaks less diplomatically :
" It is difficult and beyond hope that tliis lady could ever
do good, being of so evil a disposition. Still, as the
malignant planets augment their malignancy when they
are in a habitation they dislike and, on the contrary,
their aspects soften when they are in a habitation that
pleases them, then perhaps she will relax something of
the malignancy of her mind, if she is withdrawn from
exile. Added to which it is advisable to make some
concessions to the urgent entreaties of her husband."

The Sieur de Chateauneuf, Ambassador at the Court
of St. James, was pessimistic about the chances of the
Duchess turning over a new leaf. Discussing the ques-

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS II9

tion of her pardon, he wrote : " There are difficulties.
Madame de Chevreuse is a woman whose spite surpasses
that of her sex. It is a proven fact that several persons of
power and condition have been turned away from their
duty by their adherence to their passion for her."

" Malignant," " spiteful " — strong adjectives to use
in speaking of a lady, but time has its little revenges.
In a few short years Richelieu was to be at her feet,
infatuated, driven to desperation by what he called her
" insupportable caprices " ; Chateauneuf would not only
" be turned away from his duty " but would sacrifice
his loyalty to the Cardinal, wreck his career, and spend
seventeen years in prison because of his own " adherence
to his passion " for the lovely siren.

Blissfully ignorant of the future. Cardinal Richelieu
discussed the treaty with the English Ambassadors and
tried to extort better terms in exchange for the pardon
of Charles' favourite. Meanwhile another partisan
appeared on the scene to fight Marie's battles. The Duke
of Lorraine arrived in Paris to make his peace and was
prepared to grant substantial concessions on condition
that the fair conspirator was forgiven for her share in
the trouble. He asked that she be allowed to return to
her Chateau at Dampierre " in consideration for which
he would do anything he was asked to do."

It was a situation calculated to appal any right-
minded statesman. Two important treaties hinged on
one mischievous woman. The prosperity, if not the
safety, of France depended largely on her immunity
from punishment.

Richelieu saw that it was a good time to make con-
cessions. He was already engaged in a sizable war with
Germany. Trouble was brewing in Savoy, and relations
with Spain were strained to breaking point. With

I20 MARIE DE ROHAN

England an ally and Lorraine guarding his eastern
frontier, his hands would be free for these other wars.
Otherwise, he would be fighting all Europe single-
handed. The fate of Europe rested in one scale. Revenge
on one troublesome woman, not yet thirty years old,
rested in the other. He was not even sure that he wanted
revenge.

The statesman admired her swift brain, the patriot
claimed it for the service of France, the natural man
dreamed hidden dreams of glowing, laughing, blue eyes
and slim delicious curves. Richelieu decided that
clemency was the better part of justice and in a short
time won the sulky, vengeful Louis over to his way of
thinking. To save their faces, and to spare King Charles
embarrassment, Richelieu announced that the King of
France was graciously pleased to pardon the Duchess
because of his love for the Duke, her husband. Even
then the pardon had its limits. Marie might return to
France but she was to reside at Dampierre and was not
to enter Paris. Above all, she was forbidden to hold any
communication whatsoever with the Queen.

Kings, princes and ambassadors had been losing sleep
over Marie's fate and international relations had hung
precariously in the balance, but she herself was supremely
indifferent. When the news came that her exile was at an
end, she received it without emotion, took her tiny
daughter, and set out on her journey to Dampierre.

There, in the peaceful beauty of the Chateau, she
relapsed into domesticity and devoted herself to her
children. She now had four, the son and daughter of
de Luynes, Anne Marie de Lorraine, born in England,
and Charlotte Marie, who had made her appearance at
Bar-le-Duc. If prenatal influences amount to anything,
Charlotte could be used as a test case. Born at a time

Anne of Austria

[Face page 120

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 121

when her mother was engaged in a wide-flung intrigue,
the girl developed a taste for the intricate game and later
was deeply involved in the complicated affairs of the
Fronde.

The rustic charms of the country-side ; the calm of
life in the Chateau, broken only by the voices of children ;
an existence complicated solely by the intricacies of
swaddling-clothes, soon palled on one who had used
Europe as her chessboard and crowned heads as her
pawns. Once peace had restored her shattered nerves,
Marie's magnificent vitality returned and, with it, her
craving for action. She longed for the life of the Court,
the battle of wits, the clash of personalities and the thrill
of intrigue.

Before her impatience could goad her into making a
false move, the ban was lifted and she was summoned
to Court. Anne was responsible for the recall of her
favourite and achieved it with the help and co-operation
of Richelieu. To explain what happened, it is necessary
to trace the progress of events at Court during Marie's
exile.

CHAPTER VIII

WITH the trial of Chalais and the ignominious
collapse of Gaston two years before, Anne
had fallen into dire disgrace. There was no
documentary evidence to connect her with the con-
spiracy, but the circumstantial evidence was strong.
Gaston, in his confession, had accused her directly and
the gossip of the English Court had linked her name
with his. Furthermore, the heir-apparent had been
heard to say publicly that her cliildlessness was the
King's fault, and he had offered, with his cynical sneer,
to prove it.

Since public denunciation of his wife would cause a
scandal, Louis had her summoned to a room where,
with the Queen-Mother and RicheHeu, he sat in judg-
ment. Sitting humbly on a stool before her judges,
Anne was formally charged with being a party to the
plot. Confident that there was no proof against her, she
gave a convincing exliibition of injured innocence and
denied the charge. When accused of desiring the King's
death in order that she might marry Gaston, she replied,
somewhat tactlessly, " I should not have gained enough
by the change."

Unable to get any admission of guilt from his wife,
Louis abused her angrily, calling her a traitor, an
ingrate, a perfidious snake in the grass. Anne Hstened,
cowed but triumphant. His tirade was a confession of
failure and hard words break no bones. Finally Louis
issued an order that no man might enter the Queen's

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I23

room unless he himself were present. Anne was then
dismissed from the royal presence.

Weeping dramatically, she retired and sent word to
Marie de Chevreuse that all was well. She was in dis-
grace, but safe.

Richelieu now concentrated on liis European wars.
He was supporting the claim of the Duke de Nevers to
the throne of Mantua, a policy which would give France
a foothold in Northern Italy. The rival candidate was
Charles Em^manuel of Savoy, who had married Louis'
sister, Christine. Marie de Medici, always ready to put
family considerations before the good of the State,
strenuously opposed the policy of Richelieu. Louis
ignored her protests and marched away to war, leaving
his mother the doubtful consolation of acting as Regent
in his absence.

Her failure to prevent this, war proved to Marie de
Medici that she had finally lost her hold over her son.
The Cardinal, the humble cleric whom she had raised to
power, was now supreme. In the best interests of
France, he had thrown down the gauntlet to his former
patroness. She picked it up and declared a private war
of her own which was to last until the end of her em-
bittered life.

Richelieu achieved a great success in Mantua and put
Nevers on the throne. Then he crushed an abortive
rising of the Huguenots, who had risen with the financial
backing of the Pope, and returned in triumph to Paris.
With him went the deUghted Louis, now quite con-
vinced that he was a military genius. They arrived to
find the Court in a turmoil and the Queen-Mother on
the war-path.

Bitter, envenomed, she attacked Richelieu in season
and out of season. As a counter-move, he cultivated

124 MARIE DE ROHAN

Anne with the idea that her friendship would offset the
malice of the dowager. That autumn the Court witnessed
the unbelievable sight of the young Queen and her
ancient foe, the Cardinal, behaving as friends and allies.

Anne had no good reason for loving her mother-in-
law, and had much to gain by an alliance with the
all-powerful Richelieu. Since the exposure of the
conspiracy, she had been under a cloud, and markedly
out of favour with her outraged husband. The support
of the Cardinal would do much to restore her prestige.
With his help she might even bring about the recall of
the exiled Marie.

RicheUeu, too, stood to profit by the new alliance.
Indifferent as he was to personal popularity, he realized
the folly of making unnecessary enemies and his former
treatment of the Queen had made her appear in the
light of a martyr. The struggle that he foresaw with the
Queen-Mother would be fought out, not on battlefields
or across the Council table, but in bedrooms and
boudoirs, with gossip and insinuation the weapons em-
ployed. In the battle for the King's confidence, Anne
would be an asset. In winning her, she would win her
sympatliizers and might even bring over to his side that
arch-intriguer, Marie de Chevreuse.

With the recall of the Duchess as their common aim,
Anne and the Cardinal soon came to terms. In exchange
for her friendship and support in the coming struggle, he
agreed to bring Marie back to Court. One wonders how
he won the consent of Louis, who by now had an
engrained hatred for the lovely marplot. But Richelieu
performed many miracles during his tenure of office.
In due course, Madame la Duchesse de Chevreuse was
informed that His Majesty was graciously pleased to
receive her at Court.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I25

Marie shook the dust of Dampierre off her flying feet
and appeared in Paris with all the vivid abandon of Ariel
released from his tree. Once again the vast mansion on
the Rue St. Honore blazed with lights. The great court-
yard beneath the stately Renaissance windows was filled
with footmen and lackeys, idling away the time, while
indoors, their masters were congratulating the Duchess
on her return. The Court was aquiver with excitement
and curiosity, waiting to see how the prodigal would be
received when she presented herself after her long exile.
Gossip was rife and its tenor may be gathered from the
sub-acid comment made by Madame de Motteville :
'* Her beauty always had charms for the gallant Cardinal,
and no doubt the lady promised him all he wanted of
her."

What Richelieu wanted of Marie is veiled in ambiguity.
What he got was friendship and, for the time being,
whole-hearted support. The Duchess was received
graciously by the King and Cardinal, rapturously by
Anne and joyfully by the Court at large. While they
were still wondering what would happen, she aligned
herself with Anne and the Cardinal against the Queen-
Mother. She, too, had her grievances against the terrible
old virago and took a mischievous pleasure in paying off
ancient grudges.

Putting aside old enmities, ignoring past offences,
Marie and the Cardinal billed and cooed like turtle doves.
We are told that she went to see liim and " made him a
thousand protestations of friendsliip and sincerity in the
King's service." Nor did she stop with protestations.
She brought her devoted Duke Charles to Paris and
strengthened the bonds of friendship between France
and Lorraine. By combining diplomatic skill with
demure discretion, Marie won the sincere admiration of

126 MARIE DE ROHAN

the Cardinal. He even paid her a compUment in a
letter to the King. " Madame de Chevreuse is going on
well,'* he wrote, " and is giving good advice to the
Queen."

Louis was at his hunting lodge at Monceau when an
incident occurred which, indirectly, proves Marie's
influence with the Cardinal. Among the gentlemen in
his suite were the Duke de Chevreuse and the Duke de
Montmorenci, the gallant with the slight squint who had
been one of Anne's early admirers. Montmorenci
aroused the ire of Chevreuse by some ribald reference to
his indefatigable pursuit of the fair sex. Although he
was over fifty, Chevreuse drew his sword and demanded
an apology. Montmorenci was only thirty, the idol of
the army and one of the finest swordsmen in France
but Chevreuse proved the better duellist and wounded
his opponent severely.

The edicts against duelling were very strict, and one
nobleman had already been executed for defying them.
Furthermore, by drawing their swords in the court-yard
of the house occupied by the King himself, the two
nobles had been guilty of a grave breach of etiquette.
The culprits were severely reprimanded and dismissed
from Court.

Chevreuse merely retired to Dampierre and in a very
short time, to liis surprise and delight, was allowed to
return. Marie had interceded for him and, such was her
influence with the Cardinal, he was recalled several days
before Montmorenci. It seems a trifling thing but was to
have its effect on history. Montmorenci was offended at
what he considered an affront and blamed Richelieu for
showing partiality to Chevreuse. Added to other pin-
pricks it ranged the immensely powerful noble on the
side of the Cardinal's enemies.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I27

Peace brooded over the Court where Anne, Richelieu
and Marie de Chevreuse dwelt in unaccustomed amity.
Gaston found something exquisitely humorous in the
situation and shattered the millennial calm by remarking
in public that Marie had been brought back to court so
that the Queen *' might have more opportunities of
bearing a child." At this tactless reference to the gay
days when Marie was Superintendent of the Household,
the Court shivered. Louis, his old jealousy revived,
scowled blackly ; Marie laughed, and Richelieu said it
was " a devilish idea." Anne looked bleak and stored up
the remark in her retentive memory. Gaston seemed
bent on destroying his chance of the throne. Once before
he had lost it because he wanted his dinner. Now,
because he could not control his jeering tongue, he won
the animosity of the Queen. With her Spanish tendency
to remember grievances and bide her time for vengeance,
Anne allowed this remark to rankle in her mind, with
curious results.

The young Queen thus added a new enemy to her list,
but she was incapable of erasing the name of an old
one. For ten years she had hated Richelieu and attributed
much of her unhappiness to him. She had learned to
dissemble and to feign friendship but the old hatred
remained unabated. Once she had succeeded in having
Marie de Chevreuse recalled, the deep-seated enmity in
her heart reasserted itself and flamed out more fiercely
than ever.

Repudiating the temporary alliance, Anne joined
forces with the Queen-Mother, who was still waging her
undercover war against the Cardinal. Together they
plagued the King with complaints and accusations
against Richelieu and did everything in their power to
overthrow him. Louis, never a fluent speaker, subsided

128 MARIE DE ROHAN

into obstinate silence. Taking this for consent, the two
Queens redoubled their arguments and urged him to rid
himself of the hated prelate. Worn out by their clamour,
driven beyond endurance by their persistent nagging,
Louis retired to his room and there " wept bitterly for
almost a whole day." Then he dried his tears and made
out letters-patent creating the Cardinal " Principal
Minister of State " with unheard of powers.

It was a blow to the Queen-Mother who realized more
clearly than ever that her influence over her elder son
was gone. There remained the impressionable Gaston
who was easily convinced that the Cardinal was to blame
for his fancied grievances. He and his redoubtable old
mother promised each other in writing to work together
for the overtlirow of the Cardinal. This document was
enclosed in a gold capsule and given for safe-keeping to
the old Duke of Bellegarde who wore it hung around his
neck on a gold chain.

Marie de Chevreuse took no direct part in the intrigues
that followed. She disliked the Queen-Mother and had
no confidence in her judgment, while Gaston had earned
her unmitigated contempt by liis cowardice in the matter
of Chalais. The Cardinal was at least worthy of respect.
She could not keep Anne from joining sides with her
mother-in-law, but she herself remained loyal to the
pledge of friendship given to Richelieu.

Gaston precipitated matters by retiring to Orleans and
demanding increased revenues and estates. When, as a
matter of course, they were refused, he fled to Lorraine
and attempted to stir up trouble for France. Lacking
Marie's skill in intrigue, his efforts were not marked
with any conspicuous success but the presence of the
King's brother nursing a grievance at a foreign court
was bad for French prestige in the eyes of Europe.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 129

Richelieu tried to win Gaston back by bribes and
promises, but before he could succeed a crisis occupied
all his attention. The trouble in Mantua broke out again
and the Cardinal found himself threatened by a formid-
able coalition of his former foes. Instant action was
necessary. He despatched an army to Italy and was
preparing to follow himself, when Louis fell ill with
enteric. Richelieu found himself on the horns of a
dilemma. If he stayed at home, Mantua would probably
be lost. If he went away, leaving Louis to the mercy of
his wife and mother, he himself might be lost. To his
credit, he did not hesitate.

Putting himself at the head of his army, Richelieu
made another of his lightning pounces and won a
decisive victory. An eyewitness has left us a fine picture
of the fighting Cardinal on this campaign : *' He wore
a blue cuirass over a brown coat embroidered with gold.
He had a feather around his hat and two pages went
before him on horseback, one carrying his gauntlets and
another his helmet. In this guise he crossed the river on
horseback, with his sword at his side and two pistols at
his saddlebow. When he reached the other side he made
his horse caracole a hundred times in the presence of the
army, boasting aloud that he knew something of the
exercise." It is a refreshing picture and shows that there
remained, even in the awe-inspiring Cardinal, some trace
of the small boy who loved playing soldiers.

We need not follow the convolutions of war and
diplomacy which finally resulted in a complete triumph
for Richelieu and France. The only fact of vital interest
to this chronicle is the appearance on the scene of
Mazarin. He was at this time a papal agent and made a
dramatic entry under a flag of truce. At that time battles
were fought under Marquis of Queensberry rules. The

130 MARIE DE ROHAN

two armies drew up on opposite sides of the largest plain
to be found and waited for daylight. At a given signal
they engaged and fought until one side won the decision.
Any commander who fought at night or without warning
would have been considered guilty of a breach of
etiquette.

At the battle of Casale, the signal was given and both
sides had begun to shoot when the young Italian appeared
between the two armies, waving a flag. Bullets were
whistHng around him, but the power that watches over
Cardinals, even potential ones, again took a hand in the
game. Mazarin was saved for Anne and posterity.
During the negotiations wliich followed the young
Italian showed himself a skilled diplomat. Impressed by
his sagacity and subtlety of mind, Richelieu took
Mazarin into his own service and brought him back to
France.

While the Cardinal was coping successfully with foes
abroad, his most dangerous enemies at home were taking
advantage of his absence to plan his downfall.

Louis, in spite of his mother's protests, had set out to
join the army as soon as his health permitted. He got as
far as Lyons when a new and more serious attack of his
complaint brought him to death's door. What the fever
failed to do, his physicians nearly accomplished. They
bled the enfeebled youth seven times in one week and
dosed him with an assortment of poisonous drugs
warranted to wreck the interior economy of a goat.

The Queen-Mother and Anne now had him at their
mercy. They deafened his dying ears with arguments,
broke down his feeble resistance and finally extorted a
promise that he would dismiss RicheUeu as soon as the
war had been brought to a successful conclusion. It was
a great triumph for the two Queens, but Anne had her

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I3I

own private worries. Louis was in a precarious state and
was not expected to recover. If he died, Gaston would
automatically accede to the throne. Until now, Anne had
cheerfully accepted the prospect of marrying her brother-
in-law, but his tactless jeers had wounded her suscepti-
bilities. She hated him now only less than she hated the
thought of retiring into the background as a childless
widow.

There has been much scandal written about the crisis
at Lyons and opinions differ as to the authenticity of any
of the incidents. According to the circumstantial story
of one contemporary, Louis made his will, leaving the
crown to Gaston and omitting the usual clause " except
in the case that our dear spouse should be enceinte.''^
The story continues that Madame de Fargis, one of
Anne's ladies-in-waiting, made violent love to de
Berighen, the King's favourite valet and, through him,
had the vital clause inserted. Our gossip relates further
that Anne found herself in an extremely interesting
condition which lasted only until Louis was out of
danger.

These spicy details are given with a convincing air of
intimate knowledge but are omitted by conservative
historians and must be taken with a certain amount of
reserve.

It is an established fact that Anne was in an awkward
situation. On what he thought to be his death-bed,
Louis stubbornly affirmed his belief in her infidelity.
She assured him, weeping, that she was absolutely
innocent of any offence but he remained unmoved.
When his confessor urged him to forgive all who had
injured him, he said, referring to Anne : "In my
present state it is my duty to forgive her. I am not bound
to believe her."

132 MARIE DE ROHAN

After being given up for dead, Louis astonished every-
one by recovering and was back in Paris in September.
He was still hag-ridden by his women folk but was
determined, in the depths of his stubborn secretive
heart, to stand by his invaluable ^Minister.

The victorious Cardinal returned to the Louvre to be
greeted with unconcealed venom by the Queen-Mother.
Now that the war was over, she expected Louis would
keep his promise. The prospect of triumph made her
careless, and her malice drove her beyond the bounds of
discretion. One day, in the King's presence, she turned
on Madame de Combalet, the Cardinal's favourite niece,
and she screamed abuse and insults at her until the poor
girl was trembling with fright.

Louis made no comment, but escorted the lady-in-
waiting to the door. The old Queen, carried away by
wrath and annoyed by this courtesy shown to the victim
of her rage, swept across the room, locked the door
through which the girl had just passed and turned on
the silent King. Louis listened patiently while the storm
raged around his head. Suddenly a little door leading
to an unused chapel opened and Richelieu himself
stepped into the room. Marie de Medici later remarked
bitterly that she had lost everything because she forgot
to lock that door.

From forte ^ her strident voice rose to fortissime^
accelerando. She called Richelieu a liar, a knave and
thieving crocodile, pointed out his faults and enlarged
on his mistakes. Then she made the error of explaining
in detail just how she would replace him when he had
departed into the outer darkness. Names, figures and
plans poured out in a wild flood and were carefully
noted by the wily prelate who stood humbly before
her.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I33

When, for sheer lack of breath, the impassioned mono-
logue came to an end, Richelieu bowed respectfully,
saluted the King and left the room. Louis, exhausted
by the storm, retired to his own chamber and threw
liimself in tears on the bed. The next day, to avoid
more scenes, he went to Versailles.

Thrilled by the very " exuberance of her own ver-
bosity," blind to the workings of her son's queer mind,
the Queen-Mother took silence for consent and believed
that she had triumphed. The news flew about Paris that
the great Cardinal had fallen and his enemies gloated
over his overthrow. On that famous evening, November
II, 1630, the Queen-Mother's salons at the Tuileries
were crowded while the great Palais Cardinal was
deserted. The courtiers who usually thronged it, asking
favours, paying court, ingratiating themselves with the
all-powerful Minister, were conspicuous by their absence.
Only Father Joseph stood by while his beloved master
went down into the dark valley of defeat and dis-
illusionment.

In that hour the iron entered into Richelieu's soul. He
had gained a glorious victory by force of arms, crushed
civil dissensions and raised France to a position of com-
manding strength in Europe, only to be discarded at the
insistence of a jealous, hysterical old woman. Deserted
by the sycophants who usually fawned on him, friendless
and alone save for his secretary, Richelieu watched the
slow hours pass and waited for the message of dismissal.

It never came. Instead came a summons from Louis
to attend him at Versailles. Hoping against hope, the
Cardinal was ushered into the presence of the young
King to whose service he had dedicated his life. Louis,
who was standing moodily looking out of the window,
turned suddenly with one of his rare smiles. Putting bis

134 MARIE DE ROHAN

hands on Richelieu's shoulders, the King assured him
with genuine affection in his voice that he had never
seriously considered dismissing his most valuable ser-
vant. He gave the most convincing signs of his entire
friendship and confidence. The Cardinal returned to
Paris walking on air.

That same day the Court realized that, far from being
dismissed, Richelieu was more firmly in the saddle than
ever. The tide rolled back, his ante-chambers were
thronged and the sycophants protested their devotion in
voices even more honeyed than before. But Richelieu
never forgot. The " Day of Dupes " had taught him a
grim lesson in human nature. Forthwith he would walk
alone and trust no man. He and the King together would
face all Europe and woe to the man or woman who
should come between them.

In the meantime, vengeance was sweet. The names
mentioned by the Queen-Mother in the course of her
wild diatribe had not been forgotten. Patiently, one by
one, the unfortunate individuals mentioned were singled
out for punishment, and were sent to exile, prison or the
block to expiate the crime of conspiring against the
Cardinal. The Princess de Conti, that merry dame who
had been one of Marie's boon companions, was dis-
missed from Court and died shortly afterwards. Bassom-
pierre, the debonair friend of the great Henry and the
darling of the ladies, was thrown into the Bastille. He
was warned several hours in advance and could have
escaped but was confident that the imprisonment would
be for a few days only. Instead of making for the frontier
he spent the night burning over six thousand love letters
from various ladies. Louis regretted his imprisonment
bitterly, but had not the courage to release liis friend
until Richelieu's death, ten years later.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I35

A certain Marillac had been mentioned as Richelieu's
successor as Minister of State. The vengeful Cardinal
had him arrested and tried on some trumpery charge
of defrauding the government on army stores. He tried
him before a special commission, presided over by
Chateauneuf, whom he had brought from England for
the purpose. By one vote Marillac was found guilty and
executed out of hand. When his friends protested
against the outrage, Richelieu expressed the deepest
sympathy but said, wiping away a crocodile tear : *' He
must have been guilty, since the judges condemned
him."

Marillac has nothing to do with the story of Marie
de Chevreuse but his trial brings Chateauneuf, for the
second time, into the picture.

The tragic outcome of the " Day of Dupes " merely
increased the savage malice of the Queen-Mother towards
the Cardinal. Since Louis had failed her, she fell back
on Gaston and spurred him on to active measures
against the Red Pest. She so lost all sense of dynastic
rights that she contemplated civil war against the King,
with Gaston as the rallying-point. Marie de Medici was
indeed following closely in the steps of Catherine de
Medici, who was said to have poisoned one son to make
way for another.

Marie de Chevreuse had planned to overthrow Louis
in favour of Gaston but she had enough organizing
ability and finesse to make her scheme feasible. The
Queen-Mother was conspicuously lacking in both
qualities and was beaten before she started.

Following the " Day of Dupes," the Queen-Mother
received a courteous but firm request to retire to Moulins
and stay there. Instead, with a sort of futile obstinacy,
she went to Compiegne. Gaston was in Lorraine, and

136 MARIE DE ROHAN

between them they might have caused trouble but Marie
de Medici lacked the necessary patience or ability to
intrigue. She wasted all her nervous energy in giving
way to futile tempers and horrified her associates by her
indiscretions. Richelieu knew every twist of her veno-
mous nature and played on her weaknesses. At first he
set a strong guard around her house, making her a
virtual prisoner. Inside the house were his spies
who kept him informed of the progress of her
schemes.

After a few months of this farce, the guards became
very lax. Seizing what seemed a heaven-sent opportunity,
Marie de Medici escaped and made her way over the
border to Brussels. Only too late did she realize that she
had played straight into her enemy's hands. She had,
very obligingly, exiled herself and was never allowed to
enter France again.

Marie de Medici had been the evil genius of France
and it is hard to find a mitigating trait in her character.
Her cravmg for power and her love of money drove her
to consent to, if not to plan, the murder of her husband,
the great Henry. Her poor judgment and partiality
towards Concini had reduced France almost to bank-
ruptcy, and her poHcy throughout was disastrous. When
she tried to deprive France of Richelieu, the one man
who could bring order out of chaos, she met her Water-
loo, and retribution overtook her. For years she wan-
dered about Europe, always a stormy petrel, always
trying to stir up trouble for France. Finally she wore out
her welcome at every Court in Europe and was reduced
to sponging on commoners. At times she was so
destitute that she was obliged to break up furniture for
firewood.

The Queen of England, the King of France, the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I37

Queen of Spain, the Duchess of Savoy, were her
children, but in none of their domains had she a place
to rest her head. Finally in 1643 she died at Cologne, a
pensioner on the bounty of Peter Paul Rubens, the
painter.

CHAPTER IX

DURING the two-year duel between Richelieu
and the Queen-Mother, Marie de Chevreuse had
played the role of innocent bystander. Little
as she loved Richelieu, she at least recognized his ability.
For the old Queen she cherished a deep dislike tinged
with contempt, and watched her inept manceuvres with
the scorn of the expert for the bungler. The victory of
Richelieu was only a matter of time, and Marie bent all
her energies to keeping Anne clear of the inevitable
debacle.

Meanwhile the Queen-Mother stormed on her veno-
mous way and raised a mighty commotion. It was in
July, 163 1, that she fled to Brussels. At the same time
Gaston made his way to Lorraine and took refuge with
Duke Charles. The Duke had recently signed a treaty
with France but could not resist the temptation of
another tussle with his big neighbour. Repudiating his
treaty, he allowed imperial troops to occupy his border
fortresses. Marie de Medici, meantime, was raising an
army in the Spanish Netherlands.

Before the Queen-Mother's forces could be brought
into play, Richelieu made one of his lightning attacks.
He drove the imperial troops out of Lorraine, seized
the border fortresses and forced the Duke to sign a
humiliating peace. Gaston, with his genius for doing
the wrong thing, had just married Margaret of Lorraine,
the Duke's sister. Caught unawares by Richelieu's
attack, he was forced to flee to Brussels. His bride, left

138

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I39

to her own devices, escaped from Nancy, dressed as a
page.

Gaston enjoyed himself in the role of a conspirator
and was spurred on by his implacable old mother. Col-
lecting more troops, he invaded France, scattering
proclamations as he came. He called on all Frenchmen
to rise against the Cardinal but the response was dis-
appointing. The Huguenots had been too recently
crushed ; the lesser gentry feared the heavy hand of
Richelieu and the nobles despised Gaston. Only the
unfortunate Montmorenci, almost against his will, was
involved in the abortive revolt. His connection with it
proved fatal. In a skirmish at Castelnaudari the Duke
was wounded and taken prisoner.

From a safe place across the river, Gaston watched the
affair without making any effort to rescue his ally.
Instead, he disbanded his troops and ran home to
mother. From his refuge in Brussels he entered into
negotiations with the Cardinal. At first he demanded
the release of Montmorenci, a free pardon for himself
and a large gift of money to cover his expenses. Riche-
lieu, who was a wily soul, ignored these demands.
Gaston promptly climbed down from his high horse and
began to cringe. He *' confessed that he had been ill-
advised, acknowledged himself much obliged to the
King for the clemency he had shown and was indebted to
the Cardinal whom he had always liked and esteemed.'''

In exchange for pardon, Gaston made a confession
implicating all his friends and abandoned the Duke to
his fate. Knowing that no ordinary tribunal would dare
to convict " the magnificent Montmorenci," Richelieu
appointed a special tribunal. To ensure a conviction, he
headed it by his faithful henchman, Chateauneuf, who
had been so obliging in the affair of Marillac. After a

140 MARIE DE ROHAN

farce of a trial, Montmorenci was found guilty and
executed the same day, September 30, 1632.

Marie de Chevreuse had stood aloof from the activities
of Gaston and the Queen-Mother, but she had not been
idle. The unnatural alliance between herself and the Car-
dinal had lasted two years and during all that time she
had been unnaturally well-behaved. With rare control,
she had refrained from intrigue and concentrated on
keeping Anne out of trouble. Up to a point she had
succeeded until the deep-rooted hostility between Queen
and Minister had flared out again. Richelieu then
renewed his subterranean attacks on Anne and by so
doing had forfeited the support of Marie de Chevreuse.

There seems no explanation for Marie's impassioned
loyalty to a woman who was really not worth it. For
forty years the Duchess devoted her life to the cause of
her friend and her fanatic devotion was finally only killed
by Anne herself.

The mighty dust raised by Gaston and Marie de
Medici had formed a convenient screen for certain
dubious activities of Madame de Chevreuse. For months
she had been at work in her subtle fashion, preparing the
ground for a conspiracy of her own. The threads of this
new intrigue covered Europe, from London to Madrid
and from Brussels to Vienna. Wherever the name of
Richelieu was hated, wherever liis downfall was desired,
there were her agents and her allies.

Both Spain and the Empire recognized him as the
genius who was making France the dominant power in
Europe, and were ready to assist any effort to overthrow
him. In England, Queen Henriette Marie and her party
were naturally opposed to the man who had driven her
mother, Marie de Medici, from France. In Brussels, the
Queen-Mother and Gaston had their supporters and

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 14I

were sure of aid from the Spanish government established
there. All over France were nobles divided between
hatred of this upstart prelate and fear of the blows he was
dealing their privileged order.

Universally hated, universally feared, Richelieu stood
almost alone. Father Joseph was his only intimate
friend but there were a small group of trusted servants
bound to him by self-interest. The Cardinal knew how
to reward faithful service and there were men shrewd
enough to see that loyalty to him would be well repaid.
Outstanding among these was Charles de I'Aubespine,
Sieur de Chateauneuf.

Realizing that adherence to Richelieu would lead to
advancement, Chateauneuf had been conspicuous by his
blind devotion to the Cardinal's service. Rapid promo-
tion had followed his efforts, and in every post he
proved himself a valuable servant. As Ambassador in
London, he handled the peace negotiations with ability
and, as we have seen, was outspoken in liis condemnation
of the intriguing Duchess.

Brought back to France especially to try Marillac, he
himself cast the deciding vote for conviction and thus
gave the Cardinal his desired revenge. So satisfactory
was his conduct that Richelieu had appointed liim to the
thankless task of trying Montmorenci. Here again he
proved his devotion to the Cardinal by condemning the
Duke to death in the teeth of all France. He was rewarded
for his services by being made Keeper of the Seals, a
position equivalent to that of the English Lord Chan-
cellor.

Chateauneuf was over fifty, a sober, hard-headed
business man. Ambition was his besetting sin, but it was
a measured ambition and he kept both feet firmly on the
ground. Since Richelieu was the greatest man in France,

142 MARIE DE ROHAN

he would serve Richelieu. Since Richelieu worked his
assistants hard, he would prove himself more energetic
and thorough than any. Since RicheUeu hated w^agging
tongues, except in his enemies, he would be silent,
discreet, a model bureaucrat.

Tall and solidly built, Chateauneuf had an air of
weighty dignity, enhanced by his full black beard. He
habitually dressed richly, but in sombre colours, and his
vanity was only betrayed by his fondness for jewellery.
Full red lips suggested an ardent temperament and his
keen dark eyes were apt to rest fondly on a well-turned
ankle, but he had never been accused of anything more
than an academic interest in the ladies.

Such was Chateauneuf, the Keeper of the Seals and
the trusted confidant of Richelieu. In the whole of
France, it would have been difficult to find a man less
likely to lend liimself to any intrigue aimed at his master,
the Cardinal.

Nevertheless Marie de Chevreuse decided that the
Keeper of the Seals was necessary to her plans. Her
former intrigues had failed because of Richelieu's
unequalled intelligence service. This time, she herself
intended to arrange for early, accurate information.
Who should be in a better position to supply it than this
worthy bureaucrat ?

She studied her man and realized that the hard head
was balanced by a passionate heart. The staid official
was but the outer shell of a full-blooded, susceptible
male, and his devotion to the Cardinal was dictated
by overweening ambition rather than by personal
loyalty.

Skilfully Marie set to work, and the expressed dis-
approval of Chateauneuf for her mischievous procUvities
only added zest to the game. She slowly melted his

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I43

hostility, won his confidence and began lier assault on
his heart. In less than a month the citadel had igno-
miniously surrendered, and Chateauneuf was her captive.
From then on, he was infatuated, obsessed, helpless in
the grip of one of " those fatal passions that mark the
departure of youth."

Marie was far too wise to frighten her victim by dis-
cussing treason. She contented herself, at first, by
wheedling out of him secrets of vital importance to her
cause. Chateauneuf, dazed by this overwhelming emotion
was himself unaware of his indiscretions, but there was
a steady leakage of valuable information from head-
quarters. Plans of the intended attack on Lorraine
reached Charles in time for him to take defensive
measures. News of the most confidential nature was
known at Court and freely discussed in the Queen's
apartments.

Richelieu learned of this through his spies but was
ignorant of the identity of the traitor. Then his eyes
began to rest with thoughtful menace on the Keeper
of the Seals. To all appearances, Chateauneuf was as
loyal as ever, but his devoted attendance on the intriguing
Duchess was in itself suspicious. Richelieu began to
suspect the presence of an Ethopian in the political wood-
pile. Chateauneuf, meanwhile, drifted about in a happy
haze, neglecting his work, giving away his secrets,
oblivious of the suspicions forming in the shrewd mind
of the Cardinal.

Marie, as ready as a wild animal to scent danger, saw
that the Cardinal was on the alert. At all costs she must
throw dust in his eyes and keep him inactive until her
plans had time to mature. With the utmost aplomb she
began to envelop the suspicious cleric in a fragrant
smoke-screen of delicious emotions.

144 MARIE DE ROHAN

Since her return to Court, Marie had cultivated the
Cardinal's friendship and had been on excellent terms
with him. Inevitably, his feelings had progressed from
wary amiability to open admiration. He had found a
woman who, both in brains and beauty, measured up to
his standards, and had endeavoured in every way to win
her esteem. Working on this admirable basis, Marie
quickly reduced the Cardinal to a state most unbecoming
a Prince of the Church.

Richelieu knew only too well that he lacked that
ingratiating manner which is so efficacious in dealing
with women. Many rebuffs had discouraged him. Now
it was subtly borne in upon him that the lovely Duchess,
the very Queen of Hearts, was actually on the point of
succumbing to his wooing. Rising gallantly to the
occasion, he pursued her ardently. The lady remained
unaccountably coy. Yet he was allowed to feel that the
rich fruit might drop into liis hand at any moment and,
in the thrill of anticipation, was deaf and blind to all else.
The dignified Cardinal was giving an excellent imitation
of a dog waiting for a bird to fall out of a tree while
rabbits gambolled safely past his very nose.

Louis was disgusted at the sight of his faithful Minister
behaving like a moon-struck poet and warned him
repeatedly that Marie was only playing with him.
Richelieu smiled fatuously and ignored the warning.
Then the King wrote : "I have just received notice that
a messenger from England has gone to wait on Madame
de Chevreuse. If she reports this to you, it will be some
proof of her amendment. If she says nothing, confess,
at least, for the last time, that she is deceiving you and
laughing at both of us."

We do not know the sequel to the story of the English
messenger but Marie evidently succeeded in pulling the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 145

wool over those eagle eyes. Louis fretted and fussed,
but to no purpose. Richelieu, fathoms deep in love,
refused to consider the bare possibility of betrayal.
He felt that in a few days, perhaps in a few hours, this
delicious creature would have surrendered to him all her
fragrant loveliness. Until that blissful hour he could not
be bothered reading stupid reports from spies or discuss-
ing absurdities with the King.

This infatuation of the Cardinal served a double
purpose. It kept him blind to all signs of conspiracy and
at the same time brought Chateauneuf to a malleable
state of mind. Marie had hesitated to attack the loyalty
to the Cardinal which was part and parcel of his ambition.
Now the Keeper of the Seals saw in Richelieu a dangerous
rival for the affections of his lady. Jealousy undermined
his loyalty, and Marie was not slow to seize the oppor-
tunity. She carefully implanted in Chateauneuf's mind
the bright thought that the Cardinal was merely a mortal
whose place could be filled by an able successor.

Ambition quickened in the Keeper of Seals as he pic-
tured himself the greatest man in France, supplanting the
Cardinal and doing his work. He even hoped for the
support of the Queen, the Duchess and the powerful
party opposed to Richelieu. Gradually he was let into
the secret and promptly declared himself Marie's servant
to command. He became her right-hand man and threw
himself into the dangerous business with all his genuine
ability and force.

Jealousy had conquered the Keeper of the Seals, but
it was a two-edged weapon and Marie was playing a
dangerous game. Richelieu must be kept in play but, at
the same time, Chateauneuf must not be made too jealous.
He must still regard Marie as the helpless victim of a
relentless but unprovoked pursuit. The ice was very

146 MARIE DE ROHAN

thin but Marie crossed it safely, driving her ill-assorted
team of desirous males. With the consummate skill of a
finished coquette she kept both her lovers at fever-heat
and still found time to carry on an enormous correspon-
dence with the Emperor, the Courts of Spain, England,
Lorraine and Brussels, and such independent malcontents
as Soissons and Vendome.

When the game became too fast for comfort, the incor-
rigible Marie retired to bed with some vague ailment.
From there she carried on yet another correspondence
with her two gallants, assuring each in turn of her entire
devotion. Richelieu, as a matter of principle, destroyed all
letters, but Chateauneuf was less discreet. We have over
sixty of the amazing epistles she sent him at this critical
stage and from them can reconstruct the whole affair.

Meanwhile matters were moving swiftly to their
climax. It was only necessary to keep Richelieu blind and
deaf a little longer and circumstances appeared unexpect-
edly favourable. The King had planned a formal visit to
La Rochelle and the northwest of France, but at the last
moment was unable to go. Richelieu offered himself as
substitute and was duly appointed to represent the King
before his subjects. The Cardinal was in a seventh
heaven of delight. With the vanity of the wooing male,
he looked forward to pointing out the scenes of his
greatest triumph, the siege of La Rochelle. The Court
would visit his magnificent private estates and he would
have the honour of acting as host to the Queen and her
suite. Above all, he was to spend weeks in the company
of his mistress in all the easy intimacy of travel, far from
the formalities of Court and the dull routine of State
business.

The Court started off widi the usual unwieldy mob of
guards, servants, equerries, cooks, couriers, attendants

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I47

and vague hangers-on. Richelieu, dimming even the
royal party by his magnificence, was all that is most
gallant. Anne was polite and gracious, and Marie coyly
responsive. Her plans were going forward splendidly
and it was only necessary to keep the infatuated man on
the road, happy and unsuspicious, for a little while.
Then the struggle would be over and Anne would be free
from the crushing weight of the Red Cardinal's enmity.

The prospect of success after two failures was intoxi-
cating. It gave an added brightness to the devastating
eyes turned so kindly on the Cardinal, a merrier lilt to
the laughing voice and a keener edge to the shafts of wit
that kept her circle in helpless giggles. For the third
time she was on the verge of success. Then, once again,
luck perched on the Cardinal's shoulder.

It came in a curious guise. The cavalcade had reached
Bordeaux when Richelieu suddenly succumbed to an
acutely painful bladder complaint complicated by an
internal abscess. Raging with fever and suffering abso-
lute agony, he was put to bed while physicians, hastily
summoned, shook their heads dubiously. They were
helpless in the face of such a condition and saw little
hope of their patient's recovery.

The news of the Cardinal's precarious condition robbed
Anne of what little common sense she possessed.
Assured that her enemy was dying, she rejoiced openly
and insisted on continuing the journey. Marie protested,
begged for just a little patience, just a little discretion,
but it was useless. Anne was as stubborn as a mule
beneath her deceptive mildness of manner. Once she
had got the bit between her teeth it was impossible to
turn her from her chosen course.

Leaving the unfortunate Cardinal helpless at Bordeaux,
the Court hastened to La Rochelle and plunged into the

148 MARIE DE ROHAN

most hectic whirl of gaiety. The townspeople assumed
that the elaborate festivities planned for the royal visit
would be cancelled as a mark of respect to the dying
prelate. To their astonishment, Anne ordered that the
programme be carried out and went so far as to give
extra entertainments of her own.

Days and nights passed in an endless round of festi-
vities, with Chateauneuf, blind to all caution, playing a
prominent part. He had hitherto been regarded as one
of the Cardinal's most devoted henchmen. Now, desert-
ing his dying master, he danced attendance on the Queen
and the Duchesse de Chevreuse. Magnificent in gala
dress, ablaze with the jewels he loved, he was the gayest of
the gay. It was an open declaration that he had thrown
off the old allegiance and taken service under the banner
of the Queen. Anne, herself, was intoxicated with joy
at the prospect of being freed from the Red Menace and
set the pace in a way that shocked the sober burghers of
La Rochelle.

Decent people all over France frowned at such tactless
behaviour. Louis, hearing of it, scowled and muttered,
but Anne was beyond control. Her only concession to
convention was to send a courier daily to inquire about
the health of His Eminence. Even in that it was obvious
that she really only wanted to know how soon he could
be expected to die.

One of these messengers was La Porte who gives us a
pathetic picture of the dying man. Physically at the
lowest ebb, Richelieu's spirit was unquenchable and the
flame of jealousy burned fiercely in the ravaged body.
He questioned La Porte shrewdly about the Court at La
Rochelle and seemed to be exceptionally well-informed.
Finally he asked, with a wistful note in his voice : " Does
Chateauneuf stay late at the Palace at night ? " La Porte

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I49

was tactfully non-committal but Richelieu had other
informants. From them he heard all about the wild
revels of the Court, the Queen's frankly-expressed joy
over his illness and the part played by Chateauneuf. He
heard other things too — little hints that assumed a dark
significance in his shrewd mind. Freed from the blinding
mist of emotion, he saw clearly. He realized at last that
he had been fooled and all the old warnings, previously
disregarded, rushed back with added force.

Feeling that the State was in danger, Richelieu made
one supreme effort to throw off the illness that had almost
mastered him. Jealousy gave him new vitality and he
made a gallant fight for life. For a time it seemed hope-
less and on November 20 news of his death was circu-
lated in Paris. It even reached Brussels where Marie
de Medici, Gaston and the little group of exiles lighted a
huge bonfire to celebrate the passing of the red shadow.
Richelieu could have said, Hke Mark Twain, that the
reports of his death were grossly exaggerated. The fact
that his enemies were already triumphing over his end
gave the needed fillip to his spirit. By Christmas he was
back again in Paris, thinner than ever, trembling with
weakness, but very much alive.

Always a bonny fighter, he fought his way back from
the very gates of death to confound his enemies. With
hollow eyes burning fiercely in the pale face, the bloodless
lips one thin implacable line, the gaunt figure in trailing
scarlet robes appeared at Court like an avenging angel.
Those who had rejoiced so prematurely shivered with
apprehension but the Cardinal held his hand. His whole
mind was clouded with suspicion but he wanted proof —
indisputable, documentary proof — before taking action.

Perhaps he was secretly hoping against hope that his
doubts would prove to be unfounded. Marie certainly

150 MARIE DE ROHAN

did her best to convince him of the fact. Chateauneuf
had endangered everything by his reckless indiscretion
at La Rochelle but the situation might still be saved.
Marie flung herself gallantly into the breach.

Once again she enmeshed the suspicious man in a
tangle of emotions and reduced him to a state bordering
on lunacy. Away from her, his cool analytical brain was
convinced that there was conspiracy afoot. With her, it
was different. The fragrance of her slim loveliness
clouded his mind, and her maddening provocative eyes
taunted him into amorous folly.

Intent on the pursuit of the elusive nymph who
seemed always escaping, yet always within reach, he
swung from hope to despair, from faith to darkest doubt.
One of Marie's letters to Chateauneuf gives us a picture
of him at this critical time :

'* The Cardinal assured me that he had now no secrets
from me and that he would positively do all that I com-
manded provided that I would live with him in such a
manner as to assure him that he stood higher in my
esteem and confidence than any other on earth. He
parted on good terms with me but I never found him in
such a mood as to-day — so restless and variable in
manner, now carried away by anger, then pacified in a
moment into extreme humility. He cannot endure that
I should listen to you."

Richelieu's jealousy of Chateauneuf was the great
danger in this battle of wits and Marie tried to coach her
fellow-conspirator. In each letter she urges caution and
one is particularly insistent :

" I wish you to appear to be displeased with me and to
despise me. I know this will be painful to you but never-
theless you must obey me in this. // is absolutely necessary.
Send me an answer and beware of the Cardinal.''^

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I5I

Richelieu was struggling helplessly in the toils of this
infatuation but he had his lucid moments and set his
spies on the trail. Vague hints, sporadic warnings and
past experience combined to give him the probable
sources of trouble. Not only in France, but in Brussels
and England liis agents were on the alert for any whisper
of treason.

For a month he waited in vain for confirmation of his
suspicions. Marie had covered her tracks with con-
summate skill and forced her confederates to be discreet.
Then, as before, she was betrayed by the reckless folly
of her friends in England.

ChateauneuPs post as Ambassador in London had
been taken by Fontenay-Mareuil. It was he who had so
strongly advised Chevreuse against marrying the lovely
widow and he still persisted in his disapproval of Marie.
In February he reported to the Cardinal that there was a
conspiracy afoot and that " the plotters were moving
heaven and earth to have Holland appointed English
Ambassador to France, so that he might assist them with
their cabals."

On top of this came a letter from an Englishman called
Weston, who was Secretary to the Treasury and a member
of the party opposed to Queen Henriette Marie. He
wrote to RicheUeu, confidentially, that he " possessed
positive proof that the Sieur de Chateauneuf designed
to ruin the Cardinal and that the Queen of England had
said on several occasions that the Keeper of the Seals
was her particular servant and would guide the State
better than the Cardinal when the latter was dead."

Here was confirmation indeed, and all the Cardinal's
jealous doubts were justified. Not content with lifting
his eyes to the woman whom Richelieu had chosen for
himself, the insolent Keeper of the Seals had actually

152 MARIE DE ROHAN

aspired to the Cardinars position in the State. His fate
was sealed, but still the Minister delayed action. He
wanted, even while he dreaded, to know what part the
Duchess had played in this, and was determined to catch
all the conspirators in the net at once. The trail led
straight to her. Holland was her former lover, and was
still her ardent adorer. Chateauneuf had made himself
the laughing stock of the Court by his open infatuation.
There was still another suggestive fact.

Fontenay-Mareuil had reported, among other things,
the activities of a young Frenchman in London. This
was none other than our old friend, the Chevalier de
Jars, who had been dismissed from the Queen's service
after the scandalous episode in the garden at Amiens.
He had returned to Court only to be exiled again after
the '* Day of Dupes." Now he was acting as Chateau-
neuPs agent in England. On the surface, he was merely
a young man of independent means and sporting tastes
who played tennis with the King, flirted with the Queen
and led a life of harmless frivolity. The only suspicious
thing about him was the fact that he received many
letters from France which he kept carefully locked up in
a desk.

Anxious that the plotters should be taken unawares,
Richelieu arranged to strike simultaneously in two
places at once. In London, a burglar, hired by the
Ambassador, broke into de Jar's house and abstracted
the letters from his desk. In France, Chateauneuf, peace-
fully writing letters at night, found himself surrounded
by a troop of the Cardinal's guards. Without being
allowed to touch anything or communicate with his
friends, he was rushed off to Angouleme where he was
shut in a cell. A large coffer full of letters, found in his
private room, was taken to Richelieu.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I53

It was a fine haul. Rubbing his thin hands with delight,
the Cardinal turned over most compromising epistles
from the Queen of England, the Queen-Mother, Gaston's
friend Puylaurens, Holland, Montagu and others. From
these letters and those stolen from de Jars it was possible
to trace out the whole conspiracy. Briefly, the plan was
this : Gaston, with the help of Spain and the Emperor,
was to seize the throne, eliminating Louis and the Car-
dinal, Chateauneuf was to be Minister of State, Holland,
EngHsh Ambassador to Paris, and de Jars, French
Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Marie de Medici
would return to France. Puylaurens was to be Gaston's
right-hand man, and political favours were promised to
all their friends. Marie, as usual, did not figure in the
profits. She liked the fun of pulling chestnuts out of the
fire and was content to let her friends eat them.

Richelieu gloated over these compromising docu-
ments but there was one bundle of sixty-two letters
which he found less satisfactory. In fact the pleasure he
got from reading them might be called negligible. They
were from Marie de Chevreuse to Chateauneuf and
proved bitter reading to His Eminence. They showed,
beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she had been fooling
him all the time.

In them he saw Chateauneuf as the favoured suitor
and himself the poor, pitiful dupe, held up to the ridicule
of his rival.

It is difficult to see why Richelieu did not destroy these
embarrassing documents. They had little evidential
value and were infinitely damaging to his own prestige.
On the other hand, he may have kept them as a weapon
to hold over the head of Marie herself. From whatever
cause, the Cardinal preserved the letters carefully, and
they are still among the archives of France. But it is

154 MARIE DE ROHAN

worth noting, in this connection, that Chateauneuf was
never brought to trial.

Richelieu cannot be blamed for shrinking from
putting such letters in evidence. A Cardinal in the role
of impassioned lover is bad enough, even in an era when
the " celibacy " of the clergy was a standing joke. In
these letters he appears in the more unfavourable light of
an unsuccessful lover forcing a complacent husband to
plead for him. Using the immense prestige of his office,
he had frightened the egregious Chevreuse into acting
as procurer and tried to adorn the elegant Duke with a
pair of horns fitted by the gentleman himself.

The letters are too long to quote in full but a few
extracts will explain the humour of the situation.

"... Monsieur de Chevreuse has had a little
quarrel with me. He has been so intimidated by the
insolence of the Cardinal that he wishes to persecute
me into a base endurance of him."

"... The Cardinal storms and rages because I do
not go to see him. I have written him twice compliments
of which he is unworthy, and which I should never have
offered had it not been for the persecution of Monsieur
de Chevreuse, who said that they would purchase my
peace."

"... The Cardinal said to my husband that my
caprices were unsupportable to a man of his temper and
that he has resolved no longer to pay me any special
attention, since I am incapable of giving my friendship
and confidence to him alone."

• There is something humorous in this picture of the
stately Cardinal complaining petualantly to Chevreuse
because his w^ife would not succumb to his wooing.
Evidently he did, for a short time, withdraw his " special
attention," in an attempt to bring the lady to heel. She

n

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I55

writes : "I have had no news from the Cardinal. If he
is as satisfied with not hearing from me as I am at not
hearing from him, he is well-pleased and I am freed from
that persecution from which may time and our good
angel deliver me."

This letter, one fears, was written solely for the edifica-
tion of Chateauneuf. Undoubtedly the minx was being
" persecuted," but she would have been aghast if the
Cardinal had given up the attack. The more ardently
he persecuted her, the better she liked it. So long as he
was raving and storming, he was, in his official capacity,
no danger to the conspirators, and he was kept very close
to heel during those critical months.

Cleverly calculated to arouse Chateauneuf's jealousy
and keep him hostile towards his former master, the
letters also assure him repeatedly that he is the favoured
suitor whose loyalty will receive its reward. " If you
are as devoted a servant in deeds as you are in words,
I will be a more grateful mistress in actions than in
language."

One letter is particularly interesting in view of future
events. She wrote " Though all the world should
neglect you, I will continue to esteem you so highly
through my whole life that, if you love me as truly as you
have said, you will have every reason to be content with
your fortune. For all the powers of earth cannot make
me change my resolution. I swear this to you and com-
mand you to believe it and love me faithfully."

There were black times ahead for all the conspirators
and Chateauneuf, *' neglected by the world," languished
in his prison for many long years. During all that time
Marie, herself, was helpless to save him, but she never
forgot her solemn promise. At the first opportunity,
she set herself to gain his release and reinstatement.

156 MARIe'dE ROHAN

When she found herself blocked by the whole machinery
of the State, she cheerfully upset it and plunged France
into civil war to gain her end. Seventeen years after his
fall, Chateauneuf, through her efforts, found himself
again the Keeper of the Seals. In the face of danger and
disgrace, Marie kept her promise and proved her
unshakeable loyalty.

CHAPTER X

RICHELIEU'S tigerish pounce on Chateauneuf
was characteristic. So too was the simultaneous
theft of de Jars' letters in London. By a light-
ning stroke he had secured evidence of the conspiracy
and was in a position to take swift vengeance on the
plotters. The normal sequel would be a trial of Chateau-
neuf by a specially appointed commission with convic-
tion a foregone conclusion. Then the block, the flash
of the axe and oblivion.

The guilty plotters prepared for the worst and waited
with what fortitude they could muster for the Cardinal's
next move. To their astonishment nothing happened.
Richelieu was not running true to form and gradually
apprehension gave way to bewilderment. As a matter of
fact, the great man, for perhaps the first time in his public
life, was vacillating. The statesman stepped on the
accelerator, the natural man put on the emergency brake ;
the engine, inevitably, stalled. Richelieu's motives,
mixed as they were, baffled his contemporaries. In the
light of recent research, they are easy to read.

Lonely, isolated on his lofty pinnacle, the Cardinal
could astonish his friends by the magnificence of his
favours ; but his desire for revenge on his enemies was
equally unmeasured. Anne had laughed and danced with
joy at the prospect of his death. Now, with every nerve
and fibre of his being he wanted to make her suffer, and
this conspiracy put a weapon in his hand, if he could only
find the hilt. Chateauneuf was in his grip and could

157

158 MARIE DE ROHAN

be dealt with at any time. Richelieu was after bigger
game.

Another complication was introduced by his infatu-
ation for the intriguing Duchesse de Chevreuse. He
knew only too well that she had been playing with him,
but hope still lingered in his embittered heart. Attempts
to win her by legitimate methods had failed. So had his
efforts to apply pressure through the complacent hus-
band. Now he would try to break her resistance by a
species of modified blackmail. Chateauneuf was at his
mercy ; her letters were in his possession and her
beloved Anne was in grave jeopardy.

Richelieu held a strong hand but Marie had the ace of
trumps. She knew, as he did not, that there was no shred
of evidence against the Queen. Her friends had protected
her against herself. There were no letters from her, no
mention of her in any other documents, no proof of any
sort that she had been involved in the conspiracy. With
this knowledge up her sleeve, jSIarie could afford to
laugh at the Cardinal's worst threats ; but the position
of Chateauneuf was very precarious. She had to tread,
like Agag, very delicately. Open advocacy would only
make the jealous Richelieu more eager for vengeance.
Uncompromising refusal of the Cardinal's amorous
offer would antagonize him. She could only keep
him at bay by deferring the surrender he so ardently
desired from day to day, without allowing him to give
up hope.

The Cardinal realized that the ace of trumps was
missing from liis hand and tried to remedy the defect.
Lacking documentary evidence, testimony from other
conspirators would satisfy him. He decoyed de Jars back
to France by highly unethical methods and then flung
him into one of the lowest dungeons of the Bastille. His

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I59

trusted officers were ordered to get the desired testimony
by any means, and the long martyrdom of Chateauneuf
and de Jars began.

Chateauneuf, in the fortress of Angouleme, annoyed
his questioners by laughing at the whole affair. He
admitted that he was always too fond of women and that
his passion for the Duchess had caused him to neglect
his official duties. Beyond that, he assured them, he was
innocent of any crime against the State. Asked about his
share in the conspiracy, he referred to it as being *' just
women's nonsense and silly talk" and treated it as a
harmless diversion indulged in by idle ladies to pass the
time. Finally the questioners gave him up in disgust
and left him to rot or die, as best suited him. He was
never given an opportunity to prove his innocence or
confess his guilt before a tribunal. No doubt the Cardinal
was afraid that the letters would become public. He con-
tented himself with drawing up a careful " Testimony
against the Sieur de Chateauneuf" wliich was found
among his papers after his death. It runs, in part :

" Monsieur de Chateauneuf was made Keeper of the
Seals in the belief that he would be guided solely by the
commands of the King and the interested of his service,
as he had hitherto seemed to have no other design, and
had been for many years attached to the Cardinal,
serving him with many tokens of affection and fidelity —
he attached himself to the cabals of the Court and par-
ticularly to those of factious women headed by Madame
de Chevreuse whose conduct had often displeased the
King, inasmuch as she not only belonged to all the
troublesome factions raised against him but had formerly
been the very dangerous leader of a party."

Leaving Chateauneuf to convalesce after liis " ques-
tioning," the Cardinal's inquisitors now concentrated on

l6o MARIE DE ROHAN

the gallant young Chevalier de Jars. After a few months,
his friends would never have recognized in the tattered,
tortured, grey-haired scarecrow of the Bastille the debo-
nair young courtier who played tennis with the King of
England and pleased Henriette Marie with his well-
turned compliments. In a fetid dungeon where rats
rustled in the sodden straw and no ray of light entered
to divide night from day, he lay for weary months until
his clothes rotted off his back and his nails grew into
curved talons.

Eighty times he was brought up into the light of day
and " questioned.'* Eighty times, weak with agony, but
proud in the knowledge that no word had passed his
lips, he was thrown back into his cell to regain a little
strength.

Marie implored King Charles to intercede for the
prisoner and Richelieu was bombarded with pleas for
mercy from all sides but he held stubbornly to his course.
He wanted the evidence that he felt sure de Jars could
give, and was going to get it if human ingenuity and the
torture chambers of the Bastille could do it.

For nearly a year the wretched victim starved and
shivered in his subterranean cell, or endured the unspeak-
able agony of the torture. Then his questioners admitted
defeat and Richelieu made one final effort. De Jars was
taken to Troyes, tried by one of the Cardinal's pet
*' special commissions " and sentenced to death.

It was expected that the victim, faced with death,
would weaken and make the much-needed confession.
Richelieu, it was obvious, had never spent months in a
dark cell or faced the rack and thumb-screw. When de
Jars filled his lungs with the sweet open air, felt the keen
edge of the axe that would, with a single stroke, put an
end to his long agony, he laughed.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS l6l

Too crippled to walk, he was carried up onto the
scaffold and put his head joyfully down on the block. He
was waiting, with closed eyes, for the merciful blow,
when there was a commotion in the crowd. An officer
in the uniform of the Cardinal's Guards dashed through,
waving a paper aloft and calling to the executioner to
hold his hand. He was bringing a royal pardon. It was
a dramatic scene, and one much in vogue with romantic
novelists. Richelieu, who fancied himself as a play-
wright and had a sense of " good theatre," had planned
it himself.

Bewildered and, to tell the truth, a little disappointed,
de Jars was helped down from his lofty perch and taken
back to the Bastille. This time, however, he was not
returned to his loathsome cell. He found himself in
comfortable quarters in one of the towers, properly fed,
kindly treated and allowed to see his friends. There
he was left to recover his health and to regain the use
of his limbs, paralyzed by rheumatism and prolonged
torture.

Richelieu made a laconic entry in his diary that the
Chevalier " was condemned to death for the part he took
in the cabals in England and for having negotiated for
the Queen-Mother and Gaston to go there, but His
Majesty pardoned him and commuted the sentence to
perpetual imprisonment."

During all this time, Marie remained at Court, engaged
in a desperate battle of wits with the Cardinal. She was
playing for her own safety and the lives of her friends
against a pitiless antagonist who held most of the cards.
He had all the machinery of Church and State, the whole-
hearted support of the throne and his own excellent
brain. She had only her beauty and her ingenuity, but
they stood her in good stead.

l6z MARIE DE ROHAN

By their means, she kept the Cardinal so befuddled
with the fumes of balked passion that his judgment was
not at its best. Some concessions she did make. In
exchange for clemency to her imprisoned friends, she
brought the infatuated Duke Charles of Lorraine to
Paris again and patched up a peace which gave Richelieu
a breathing space. Further than that she refused to go,
but refused so tactfully, so inconclusively, that her
decision never seemed quite final. Later, studying the
situation in retrospect, Richelieu remarked in liis diary
that she used her " potent beauty " so skilfully that she
was *' never lowered by base concessions." In this
dilemma, surrender to Richelieu might have bought her
peace, security and unlimited power. Marie was quite
incapable of making that surrender. She would give
herself, in the most casual way, to any handsome man
who appealed to her but she was physically, mentally
and morally unable to yield to anyone, even the omnip-
otent Cardinal, for the sake of gaining some material
advantage from her surrender. It would have put her, in
her own estimation, on the level of a common prostitute.

For months Marie and His Eminence played " cat-and-
mouse," and the roles were, apparently, interchangeable.
He could never escape far from her magnetic spell but
must always come back to her again. She, in another
sense, was never allowed to escape from his constant
vigilance. He hesitated to put her in prison but he was
particularly anxious to keep her in France. There, at
least, he could keep an eye on her. Once over the border,
heaven alone knew what mischief she would be up to.

So the long duel went on until the end of that year,
1633. Then Richelieu gave up hope and was obliged
to accede to the King's querulous demands that she
should be dismissed from Court. She was requested to

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 163

retire to the country but was put under no restrictions
as to residence. Wlien the day of her departure came, the
prospect of losing her gay, vivid presence, cast a general
gloom over the Court, and the King found additional
cause for annoyance. First Anne, weeping and lament-
ing, pestered him for permission to say farewell to her
favourite and, by sheer persistence, won a grudging
consent. While still inwardly seething with irritation,
His Majesty was obliged to deal with another suppliant.
The Cardinal himself indicated that he wished to see
Madame before she left for the outer darkness of the
provinces. In the State archives is a letter from Louis
which is characteristic of him :

" You ask me if you may see Madame de Chevreuse,
who wishes to bid you farewell. You know very well
what pleasure the Queen has given me by asking to take
leave of her. I know that her visit cannot serve your
interests. You know very well that it will not be agree-
able to me. That said, do as you will."

There is no record of the interview, but it is a known
fact that he remained on very friendly terms with the lady
of his heart during her banishment from Court. Love
and policy combined to dictate a conciliatory attitude.
He was on the verge of a European War and could not
concentrate on it unless the tireless intriguer were
inactive.

Marie took her leave of the disconsolate Anne, after
arranging for secret correspondence, and made her way
to her old home at Couzieres, her father's chateau near
Tours. There, we may gather, she felt herself de trop.
In place of the courtesan, Louise Roger, who had
queened it at the chateau during her girlhood, she found
a black-haired, full-bosomed, white-skinned houri, who
was her new step-mother.

164 MARIE DE ROHAN

The old Duke de Montbazon had been a widower for
twenty-one years, although he had not lacked consola-
tion during that period. He had loved widely and well
but eventually tired of the fleeting nature of his casual
amours. Now, in the autumn of his full life, he decided
to take unto himself another wife and fell a victim to the
ravishing charms of the eighteen-year-old Marie d'
Auverjour de Bretagne.

Like many young ladies of quality in those troublous
times, she was living in a convent where, with other girls
of her own class, she was being initiated into the poHter
branches of learning. Marie de Bretagne evidently
learned many lessons at the convent that were not men-
tioned in the curriculum. Among other things, she
learned to judge a man and was not dismayed by grey
hairs. The Duke's impetuous wooing was warranted to
make anyone forget them. He rode rough-shod through
all convent regulations, defied the conventions, took the
girl's breath away with his whirlwind attack and capped
the climax by eloping with his beauty. He married her
out of hand and retired to Couzieres where he could
enjoy his honeymoon without the distractions of Paris.

Giving her incorrigible father her filial blessing, and
establishing friendly relations with the step-mother who
was only two years older than her own son, Marie
betook herself to her own chateau at Dampierre.

This arrangement suited her infinitely better. ISIarie
had no idea of devoting the remainder of her life to
gardening or some such innocuous pursuit. She intended
to see Anne as often as she wished, and Dampierre was
within easy reach of Paris.

Her agile brain was already busy with schemes which
boded no good to the harassed Cardinal, and Dampierre
was an admirable base for operations. Unfortunately,

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 165

Richelieu, warned by recent events, was very much on
the alert. That wily soul was not to be caught napping
twice, and he was having every move of the Queen
watched by his spies.

It was reported that she was making frequent expedi-
tions to her favourite convent of Val de Grace and the
worldly-minded cleric found this sudden access of piety
suspicious. The watch was redoubled and in due course
his spies reported that a young man, cloaked and with
hat pulled far down over his face, was seen to enter the
discreet portals on several occasions when the Queen
was " in retreat."

Richelieu chuckled when he heard tliis damaging news.
At last the supercilious Spaniard had delivered herself
into his hands. He felt that he now had the makings of a
scandal which would finally destroy her in Louis' eyes.
All a-thrill with anticipation, the Cardinal made a sudden
descent on the convent, demanded entrance by virtue of
liis ecclesiastical dignity and swept into the Queen's
presence. To his unbounded disgust and disappoint-
ment, he found that the mysterious young man was none
other than Marie de Chevreuse.

He had missed the big game he was hunting but at
least he had found Madame de Chevreuse in Paris, con-
trary to the express orders of the King. Immediately
he took steps to prevent a recurrence of her offence.

Without warning, a closed carriage, surrounded by a
guard of musketeers, appeared in the courtyard at Dam-
pierre. The officer in charge informed the Duchess,
politely but firmly, that she must accompany them to an
unspecified destination. Caught unprepared, Marie was
helpless.

She smiled graciously at the officer, collected a few
necessary trifles and took her seat in the coach. Sur-

1 66 MARIE DE ROHAN

rounded by the guard, it drove off and ultimately arrived
at the Chateau de Milly near Tours. Here she was
requested to remain until further orders. The guard was
withdrawn and she was left to her own devices. The
Cardinal had planned the move as a warning rather than
as a punishment. All he wanted was peace and hoped
that Madame would take the hint. Her immediate retort
was to buy a house in Tours and move into the city. An
isolated chateau like Milly, dreaming in the silence of the
country-side, would have driven her to desperation.
Tours, while only a provincial city, had at least the hum
and bustle of life and was the centre of what society
the province afforded.

Richelieu heard of her move, but ignored it. He
merely told the old Archbishop of Tours to keep an eye
on the lady and hoped for the best. He was prepared to
conciliate the " dangerous spirit " who had caused him
so much anxiety. He wrote to her in a most pacific strain
and assured her of his constant friendsliip. He even used
his influence in the courts to secure for her an indepen-
dent property settlement. By the terms of the marriage
contract, her estates and properties had been handed
over to Chevreuse, but that nobleman had been playing
ducks and drakes with the enormous fortune she had
inherited from her first husband, de Luynes. Chevreuse
was insanely extravagant and appeared to have no sense
of the value of money. If he wanted a coach he would
have fifteen built, try them all and select the most com-
fortable. The remaining fourteen would be abandoned
as useless. After mortgaging his own immense estate to
the liilt, he had spent Alarie's money with both hands and
she had been obliged to put a stop to it, if only to protect
the interests of her son, Louis Albert de Luynes.

Richelieu's aid in the matter was offered and accepted

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 167

" without prejudice " in the legal sense. She knew that
it was merely an olive branch, a plea for peace. Marie
was bent on war. As long as the Cardinal was the enemy
of Anne, just so long would she fight him tooth and nail.
She spent four years at Tours and during all that time
she was planning, with the infinite care and subtlety that
distinguished her, yet another vast cabal against the
Cardinal.

Her time was not all taken up in conspiracy. To be
more exact, she spiced conspiracy with love. De Retz, in
his memoirs, says : " She loved without selection,
purely because she had to love somebody. Her devotion
to her passion, which might be called eternal, though its
object changed, did not prevent her from being led
astray now and then by passing whims, but she always
came back from these distractions with an ardour which
made them appear delightful.

The witty Frenchman makes a subtle distinction
between affairs sufficiently interesting to be called
passions and the little casual episodes that served to
while away a dull hour. The episode with Buckingham,
for example, had no effect on her deeper feeling for
Holland. At Tours her love affairs covered an astonish-
ingly wide range. Even in that dull provincial town she
contrived to find diversion and set the tongues of the
gossips wagging merrily. Her first victim was none
other than the aged Archbishop himself.

He had officiated at her first marriage to the Duke de
Luynes and was friendly towards her father. This
elderly attitude did not continue long. Told by his
ecclesiastical superior to keep an eye on the intriguing
Duchess, he did it — thoroughly. If the clerical optic
rested with unseemly warmth on the distracting curve of
bosom displayed by the generous fashions of the day.

1 68 MARIE DE ROHAN

who shall blame liim ? Partly from pure love of mischief,
partly with a canny eye on the future, Marie completely
won liis octogenarian heart and set his feeble pulse beat-
ing at an unaccustomed rate.

Tying the tonsured scalp to her belt, the gay Duchess
went on the warpath again. Her next victim was the
very young Count (later Duke) de la Rochefoucauld,
whose sardonic memoirs and essays give little hint of his
ardent youth. The Count had large estates in the neigh-
bourhood and often left the gaiety of Paris for the
sports and diversions of the country. At Tours he came
to pay his respects to the exiled Duchess and fell under
her spell. He was promptly pressed into service as a
messenger between his lady-love and the Queen, and
was very useful in that capacity. His rank and popu-
larity at Court put him above suspicion.

The suave and dapper Montagu now appeared on the
scene, renewed his vows and offered his services. He
was accompanied on one visit by a young Englishman
named Craft, a stripling who was making the Grand
Tour. He has no further place in this story but he illus-
trates the magnetism exerted by Marie over every man
who fell under the spell of those glorious eyes.

Young Craft only saw her for a few days, and then
in company with Montagu, who was her lover. It is
doubtful if the lad was allowed to do more than kiss her
hand, but he was completely infatuated with this woman
who was over thirty and had a son almost his own age.
After his return to England he wrote letters that are
aflame with young love. " I often see your picture and
kiss it. . . . My heart and soul are both yours utterly
. . . my passion for you is greater than I can express.
... I dread my own country for I can never hope to
see anything that will bring me contentment. ... I

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 169

will never love anyone but you and that with all my
heart and soul and all my life long."

Marie was under close espionage during her four
years in Tours, 163 3-1637, but the spies saw nothing in
her actions that was in the least suspicious. With a wry
smile, Richelieu read of her outrageous assault on the
ancient but amorous Archbishop, her affair with Roche-
foucauld and the generous hospitality extended to
Montagu and his travelling companion, but found
nothing to which he, officially, could take exception.
Meanwhile, under his very nose, Marie was building up
her greatest cabal. Montagu was her liaison officer with
England and she had active friends at the English
embassy in Paris. Rochefoucauld was one of her mes-
sengers but she was not dependent on him. Between
Paris and Tours flowed a constant stream of letters,
carried by the most unexpected people. They all went
to La Porte, still the Queen's devoted servant, who
decoded them and sent them on to their destinations.
Her postal system was international in scope, and the
lines ran from Madrid, Brussels, Milan, Savoy, London
and Lorraine.

Vast as was the range of her activities, she moved with
absolute assurance through the intricacies of the plan.
Every step was thought out, every link in the chain
tested carefully. As the great web of intrigue was
extended to draw in more and more conspirators, the
utmost discretion prevailed. Three times a plan, perfect
in theory, had been ruined by indiscretion on the part of
some of the plotters. This time Marie impressed on
everyone concerned the absolute necessity of secrecy.
Every letter was written in code. Nothing was put in
writing which could, of itself, supply any vital informa-
tion.

170 MARIE DE ROHAN

It was the game dearest to her intriguing heart, and
Marie played it to the utmost. The fact that RicheUeu's
spies watched lier every move gave an added fillip to life.
Figuratively speaking, she thumbed her aristocratic little
nose at the watchful Cardinal and went her way rejoicing.

Richelieu should not be blamed for his ignorance of
her subterranean activities. He was in the awkward
position of a man trying to keep his eye on a three-ring
circus. One ring was Marie de Chevreuse at Tours, one
was a full-dress European War, with France in a pre-
carious position. The third, and most distressing, was
a situation wliich had developed at Court, with the
chaste Louis in love for the first time.

CHAPTER XI

VAST tomes have been written about the Thirty
Years' War without piercing the fog which, to
the average reader, enshrouds that famous Euro-
pean melee. War was being waged on a dozen fronts in
as many different causes. The Netherlands was in revolt
against Spain ; Wallenstein marched down " The
Priests' Lane " ; Tilly struck terror into German hearts
and the name of John of Werth was a bogey to frighten
French babies for generations. Van Tromp put a broom
at his mast-head and swept the English Channel. Through
the welter of conflict and politics, Richelieu raised
troops, directed operations, achieved triumphs, suffered
reverses, played both ends against the middle and, by
some marvel, maintained his political equilibrium.

He was at that time Foreign Minister, Home Secretary,
Minister of War, Minister of Marine, Minister of Trade
and Commerce, and Minister of Public Worship and
Instruction. Not content with being six little Cabinet
Ministers rolled into one, he must needs try to be a
dozen little generals. Jealous as any Mussolini of his
authority, he tried to direct every military operation
from Paris and carefully appointed two generals to each
army. The inevitable quarrels kept any one man from
becoming too powerful a rival.

Weighed down by the incredible volume of work,
carrying the fate of France on his stooped shoulders,
Richelieu overlooked the trouble brewing at Tours. He
thought that Marie de Chevreuse, at least, was off his

171

172 MARIE DE ROHAN

mind. It was of a piece with liis ill fortune that another
beauteous blonde, nearer at hand, should have given
him some of the most anxious moments of his career.
Marie de Medici and Marie de Chevreuse had, alternately
and simultaneously, given him cause to curse the
entire sex. Now there appeared yet a third Marie
destined to give him many a sleepless night. This
was Marie de Hautefort, the golden-haired beauty of
the Court.

At the time of Louis' serious illness at Lyons three
years before, his lack-lustre eye fell on a girl of fourteen,
who had recently become one of Marie de Medici's
maids-of-honour. He promptly recovered, in spite of the
well-meant efforts of his physicians. Even at that early
age, Marie de Hautefort was warranted to galvanize the
most moribund man into life. Great blue eyes sparkled
and danced, a roguish smile revealed perfect teeth and
ready blushes brought a glow to her creamy complexion.
The mop of golden curls that formed an aureole around
the dainty head, her air of dewy freshness and innocent
gaiety, earned the name by which she was known at
Court, TAurore, Goddess of Dawn.

Louis' interest in the girl did not escape the observant
eye of the old Queen, who was quick to take advantage
of it. To quote Madame de Motteville, *' As soon as the
King saw her, he had an inclination for her. The Queen-
Mother, to whom she had been given as maid-of-honour,
seeing this little spark of fire in the soul of a Prince so shy
of women, tried to light rather than extinguish it, in
order to gain his good graces by her compliance."
Using as bait the beauty and virginity of a girl of fourteen
corrmitted to her care, IMarie de Medici tried to bring
her son under her control but the " Day of Dupes " put
an end to her hopes of ruling France.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I73

Louis then gave Marie de Hautefort to his wife with
the request that she " Hke her and treat her well for his
sake." It was not the type of request that a wife receives
with enthusiasm, and Anne was quite prepared to dislike
her new maid-of-honour. Marie de Hautefort, however,
proved anything but an adventuress with designs on the
royal bed. With the unthinking ardour of youth, the girl
enrolled herself under the Queen's banner and joined
that gallant little band of comrades, headed by Marie
de Chevreuse, who had devoted themselves to the cause
of the " martyred " Anne.

Under the circumstances, Marie de Hautefort found
the dogged devotion of the inarticulate King merely
annoying. His advances were met with gay indifference
and his eccentricities held up to the ridicule of the
Queen's circle.

To do him justice, Louis does not appear to have had
any designs on the girl's virtue. He merely wanted a
friend in whom, he could confide. He came nightly to his
wife's apartments to talk to the object of his platonic
affections. It was noticed with some amusement that he
was always careful to sit at a safe distance from her during
these conversations. Marie de Hautefort herself told a
friend that he talked about nothing but hunting and dogs.
The innocence of his wooing was only equalled by its
surpassing dullness.

Sometimes the evenings were less placid. If Louis ever
dared to criticize his wife to the maid-of-honour, he
would be treated to a blast of polite abuse for his treat-
ment of her. Worsted in the battle of words the King
would retire and tell his troubles to the sympathetic
Richelieu.

The Cardinal had at first paid court to the new
favourite. He reaUzed that the King's favour made her

174 MARIE DE ROHAN

a potential power at Court and wanted her on his
side. Marie de Hautefort, however, rejected his over-
tures and abused him roundly for his " disgraceful
treatment " of the Queen. Finding her aligned with
his enemies, Richelieu resolved to drive her from
Court.

He had in his pay a certain Mademoiselle de Chemer-
ault, who was one of the maids-of-honour. Tliis lady
wrote exhaustive accounts of everything that went on in
the Queen's apartments, and her reports are still in
existence. They give a vivid picture of the private life of
Anne and record the somewhat ribald conversations that
enlivened the hours. The celibate King was the butt of
most of their jests and Marie de Hautefort was foremost
in provoking laughter at liis expense.

With a deference that thinly veiled his satisfaction,
Richelieu would lay these reports before the King. They
were bitter reading but Louis could not bring himself
to dismiss the girl who had won his affection. At a loss

o

to understand such feebleness, Richelieu would rail at
him for showing such forbearance towards the flighty
little baggage.

Caught between two fires, Louis had no peace. On
one side was Richelieu nagging because he did not
dismiss Marie de Hautefort from Court. On the other
was Marie herself, quarrelling with liim because he
allowed the Cardinal to bully the Queen. Weary of the
struggle the King fled to the peace of his hunting lodge
at St. Germains.

There he lived like a private gentleman, pottering
about in his garden, training liis beloved magpies and
composing doleful songs. Madame de Motteville paints
the picture of the melancholy recluse *' . . . without
Suite, without Court, without power, pleasure or love.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 175

While his armies were taking cities or fighting battles,
he was amusing himself with snaring birds. ..."

At times the King would emierge from liis retreat and
appear at Court with some vague idea of asserting his
authority. These visits usually ended in a pitched battle
with Richelieu, who was in no mood to accept liindrance
or criticism. Louis would shamble off in search of Marie
de Hautefort and pour out liis grievances. He found her
a most charming confidante. Criticism of the hated Car-
dinal was music in her ears and she paid for it with smiles
that raised him to the seventh heaven of delight. Quick
to realize that abuse of the Minister was a sure road to
the King's favour, the courtiers joined in the chorus and
assured Louis that he was the victim of an intolerable
tyranny. No wonder Richelieu wrote in his diary : "It
is easier to control the battlefields of Europe than the
four square yards of His Majesty's study."

Since direct methods had failed to drive Marie de
Hautefort from her place in the King's affection, Richelieu
decided to supply a counter-attraction. More by good
luck than good management he found the demurely
lovely Louise de la Fayette with whom Louis fell
genuinely in love. Since Louise was the niece of Father
Joseph, Richelieu assumed as a matter of course that she
would be a partisan of his own. Once again liis inability
to understand or handle women betrayed him.

Louise was a gentle, saintly soul who had come to
Paris in order to enter a convent. The loneliness and
unhappiness of the puppet King aroused a fierce tender-
ness in her and she became liis champion against the all-
powerful Cardinal. The rather clumsy efforts of Richelieu
to bribe her by promises of money and prestige antagon-
ized her and she threw all her influence against him.
Much as she loved Louis, her reUgious convictions were

176 MARIE DE ROHAN

outraged by his domestic affairs. She saw something
tragic and sinful in the conflict between mother and son,
between husband and wife. Once made aware, thanks
to the hints of Richeheu, of her power over the King,
she began to use it according to lier lights.

Richelieu realized too late that he had jumped out of
the frying-pan into the fire. He had eliminated Marie de
Hautefort merely because she was a partisan of the
Queen. In her place he had put a woman who was
striking at the very foundation of his policy. Louise was
trying to reconcile Louis to Anne, and to bring back to
Court that mother of all adversity, Marie de Medici.
Worst of all, she was actually urging Louis to make
peace with Spain.

In a panic the Cardinal called on all the vast, unseen
resources of the Church. Louise's confessor reminded
her of her vocation for the convent. The King's spiritual
adviser warned him of the grave temptations of the flesh
and painted an alarming picture of the fate that awaited
adulterers. Louis had not sinned yet. He had only got
as far as writing to Louise, offering her a little house at
Versailles where she could retire from the Court and
" live for him alone."

That letter convinced Louise that her immortal soul
was in danger. Two days later the great gates of the
Convent de la Visitation clanged to beliind her. Beliind
those grey walls lived and died, as Soeur Angelique, the
woman beloved by the King.

Safe behind her grill, Louise continued her propa-
ganda, ably assisted by the King's confessor, Pere
Caussin. Louis would visit her daily, holding long,
intimate conversations through the unkind bars. On his
return to the Louvre, he would prove more than usually
diflRcult to handle. Hours of argument would follow

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I77

with the irresistible will of Richelieu in collision with the
immovable obstinacy of the King. After these battles
Louis usually retired to his room and threw himself on
his bed in tears, like a Victorian maiden. His gentlemen
would gather around sympathetically while the King
railed peevishly at the domineering Richelieu, Then each
in turn would hurry off to the Cardinal to repeat what
Louis had said.

The whole Louvre was a vast network of espionage
which made conversation more dangerous than open
crime. Spies about the King, spies about the Queen,
spies in every department of government, garnered their
scraps of information and reported to Father Joseph. The
" Grey Cardinal " sifted and sorted, selected what items
seemed important and brought the result to his Master.
Richelieu was thus enabled to keep his finger on the
pulse of opinion. He knew his friends and his enemies,
what dangers threatened and when to strike.

The growing dislike of the King constituted a threat
to his prestige, but for the time being he must ignore it.
Another danger threatened, which called for immediate
action. Word had come from Tours and, with a groan,
Richelieu realized that Marie de Chevreuse was once
again on the warpath.

He had known, or suspected, that Anne and the
Duchess were in constant communication but had been
too occupied to take measures to prevent it. With long
immunity, the Queen had become careless. Just at this
time, Louis himself stumbled on something that aroused
his suspicions. He wrote angrily to Richelieu : " I found
in the Queen's apartments a certain Plainville who goes
to and from Madame de Chevreuse, and was welcomed
to the Queen's presence like a Messiah." It was con-
firmation of certain other facts filed away in that discreet

178 MARIE DE ROHAN

little room of Father Joseph's. La Porte, the Queen's
servant, had been scurrying about with an air of vast
importance and spent much of liis time at tlie Hotel de
Chevreuse. The Queen herself had been apparently
inactive but she was in the habit of going into retreat
at the Convent of Val de Grace with a frequency sur-
prising in anyone but a religious devotee. Father Joseph
put two and two together again, added it up to five and
reported the answer to liis superior. Then Richelieu
pounced.

La Porte, arrested in the street near the Val de Grace,
was thrown into the Bastille. Letters were found on liim
addressed to Marie de Chevreuse and beliind a sliding
panel at the Hotel de Chevreuse were more letters with a
cipher key. In themselves all these proved to be harmJess
but they contained vague hints and suspicious references.
The next place to be searched w^as the Val de Grace.
Richelieu sent Seguier, the Chancellor, with a strong
party, to demand admittance to the hallowed precincts.
With them went the Archbishop of Paris, w^io ordered
the Abbess, under pain of excommunication, to give the
searchers all assistance and information in her power.
The apartments occupied by Anne during her retreats
were ransacked but nothing was found.

Seguier pretended to be disappointed but there is
little doubt that he had warned the Abbess in advance.
When Anne became Regent a few years later, the Chan-
cellor was given an important post in the government.
It was a mark of gratitude for services rendered.

Once again Richelieu was faced by a distressing lack
of documentary evidence. He had notliing but a few
letters, a mass of suspicion and the person of the unfor-
tunate La Porte. Drastic measures were indicated, if he
were to make any case against the Queen, but he found

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I79

himself in a difficulty. Father Caussin took up the
cudgels for the prisoner and reproached Richelieu for
arresting liim without cause. Finding that Louis listened
patiently, the intrepid Jesuit went a step further and
accused the Cardinal directly of persecuting the Queen
because she would not yield to his amorous advances.
He told the King " that he did not know how it was
possible for the Cardinal to treat the Queen so badly
since he had always loved her and still bore her great
affection." Richelieu, commenting on tliis affair in his
diary, branded it as " the blackest and most damnable
malice capable of entering the mind of a monk " and
blamed Anne for starting the story herself. In any case,
Caussin overstepped the mark in making the accusation
and was shortly afterwards exiled.

The controversy had brought La Porte into such
prominence that Richelieu dared not torture him without
some definite evidence of crime. La Porte, however,
had no way of knowing this. Lying in a dark cell, cut
off from the outside world by mighty walls of stone, he
waited patiently for the " questioning " that seemed
inevitable.

Finally the door was opened to admit Laffemas, the
Cardinal's favourite agent, who had dealt with de Jars
three years before. He put the prisoner through a third
degree, bullying, bribing, bluffing, questioning. La
Porte merely stated, again and again, that he knew
nothing. Day after day the performance was repeated,
with the same result. Richelieu seethed with impatience
and Laffemas urged stronger measures to overcome the
obstinacy of the valet.

Then came the day when La Porte was led out of his
cell, and we have his own account of what happened :
" Laffemas showed me a paper and said, * Here is an order

l8o MARIE DE ROHAN

by which you are sentenced to undergo the ordinary and
extraordinary question.' Tlien he made me descend to
the question chamber with Sergeant Labuere, showed me
the instruments, and delivered a long lecture on the
wedges, cords, etc., exaggerating as much as possible
the sufferings they inflicted."

To his eternal credit. La Porte remained silent, and
was returned to his cell. A jailer was now put in with
him, to make sure that he could neither communicate
with the outside world nor escape. For weeks, starved
and chilled, he lay in the putrid darkness. Even in the
face of the ever-impending torture, liis courage never
wavered. It remained for Anne, in the safety and luxury
of the Louvre, to play the coward.

She was serenely confident that La Porte would never
betray her. If she had kept her head, there was nothing to
fear, but her weak spirit gave way under pressure. Into
her room swept the Cardinal, with his bleak face and
piercing eyes. Saying little, suggesting much, he left her
with the impression that he knew everything. That first
conversation was short but every word was a covert
threat. It put the fear of God into a woman whose con-
science was anything but clear.

Left to herself, Anne fell into a state of blind panic
and made a fatal mistake. She sent for her confessor and
asked him to celebrate the Mass. After receiving the
sacrament, she swore solemnly, by it, that she had
written only to Madame de Chevreuse and that the letters
were merely friendly notes.

She then sent her confessor to the Cardinal to report
what had happened. She had taken the most binding
oath possible to a Catholic and committed the blackest
perjury in the process. To her superstitious mind, it
seemed impossible that any normal person could doubt

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS l8l

her. Richelieu merely smiled triumphantly. To him the
whole performance was a confession of weakness and a
proof of her guilt.

Back again he came, awe-inspiring in his scarlet robes,
terrifying in his ruthlessness. Dropping all pretence of
humility in the presence of royalty, he towered over the
frightened woman like an inexorable judge. Beaten
down by his dominating personality, Anne lost her head
completely. Neither lies nor evasions saved her. Merci-
lessly he put her through a cross-examination, pouncing
on every admission, forcing the truth from her reluctant
lips.

At first she swore a sacred oath that she had never
written to anyone abroad. " Come, come, Madame," he
said impatiently, " the truth, please." Then she admitted
that she had written to her brother, the Cardinal-Infant
in Brussels, to inquire about his health. " Enough of this
trifling, Madame. I asked for the truth." As the gruelling
examination went on, Anne admitted more and more.
She confessed having written to her brother, Philip of
Spain, to Queen Henriette Marie of England, and to the
Queen-Mother in Brussels.

Finally Richelieu threatened to go to the King with the
damaging knowledge he held. At that, Anne's last
vestige of courage failed. Flinging herself on her knees,
before the implacable Cardinal, she implored him, in a
voice broken by sobs, to protect her from the anger of
her husband. She wept, pleaded, promised anything,
offered everything. She even seized his hand and kissed
it fervently.

In Richelieu's own account of the scene, he says that
he " drew his hand away in a firm manner." He does not
tell of the thrill of savage triumph that must have gone
through him. This proud Spanish jade had spurned him.

182 MARIE DE ROHAN

ridiculed him, worked for his downfall and danced for
joy at the prospect of liis death. Now she cringed at his
feet while he towered over her, the arbiter of her fate.
Even the love that she offered he rejected. The beautiful
body that housed her cowardly spirit no longer had any
charms for him. He wanted power — absolute, unfettered
power — and, by the Lord, he had it.

De Retz, writing a few years afterwards, gives us a
dramatic picture of that scene and paints the players in a
few incisive strokes :

" The Queen detested Richelieu and made him feel it,
but he took liis revenge at Val de Grace. After the out-
burst, after the word * treason ' had been said, it rested
with liim to have mercy, or to send the barren Queen into
shameless exile. It gave him pleasure to see her cower at
his feet, frightened and deprived of all her pride. He
exulted in disdaining her with an exaggerated and insult-
ing affectation of respect. He listened complacently
while she drove the nails into her own coffin, rendering
more proofs of her docility than he could have dared to
expect, incriminating herself as she explained in her own
way, by palpable untruths, all her treasonable letters to
her brothers and her friends in Spain."

There was a vindictive strain in Richelieu. He would
have derived some satisfaction from the public disgrace
and banisliment of the woman who had scorned him for
so many years. There was a keener thrill in keeping her
at Court, where he could enjoy her daily humiliation.
With an impassive face he raised the kneeling woman to
her feet and promised to intercede for her with the King.
In an ecstasy of emotion, Anne again threw herself on
her knees before liim, kissing liis hand, gasping " O
how kind you are ; what a good heart you must
have."

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 183

Again he raised her from her ignominious position,
calmed her and resumed his questions. Anne had by now
surrendered to blind panic, but she retained a sort of
desperate cunning. On some subjects she was voluble,
telling, to quote de Retz, " a great deal more than she
knew." On others, she protested ignorance. It was all
very confusing but the Cardinal was able, out of the
welter of lies and evasions, to gather the main outlines
of the conspiracy. Gaston was making another bid for
the throne, backed by the money and arms of Spain. The
Duke of Lorraine had also promised his support on con-
dition that his fortresses were restored. Marie de
Medici and Queen Henriette Marie of England were
involved as were Marie de Chevreuse, the Count de
Soissons and many other malcontents who had been
driven into exile.

The Cardinal finally withdrew in triumph. Once
again he had nipped in the bud a dangerous conspiracy
conceived and controlled by Marie de Chevreuse. He
held all the threads in his hands and could retaliate at
his leisure.

CHAPTER XII

AGLOW with triumph, RicheUeu left the humili-
ated Queen. Reviewing the episode later, in
the cold light of reason, he was assailed by-
vague doubts. Was the confession really complete ?
Was it even remotely possible that Anne had told
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the
truth ?

Anne's state of mind was equally unsatisfactory.
Once the brain-storm was over, she was aghast at the
damaging admissions she had made. She also knew how
much she had withheld from her inquisitor. Was he con-
vinced of her entire candour, or would he come back
and wring from her those last precious scraps of informa-
tion ? There was only one way to convince Richelieu.
La Porte must make a confession that would correspond
exactly with her own. It would be regarded as con-
clusive proof of her own sincerity, and she would be left
in peace.

There remained the problem of getting word to La
Porte. He was entombed in the depths of the Bastille,
cut off from his fellow-prisoners and guarded night and
day. It seemed impossible but a way was found, thanks
to the courage and ingenuity of the Queen's loyal friends.
It will always remain a mystery why this woman, stupid,
cowardly, and selfish, should have inspired such self-
sacrificing devotion in others. Of the gallant little band
who served her, de Jars and La Porte were in prison,
Marie de Chevreuse in exile and the others scattered. In

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 185

this emergency, another loyal soul came to the rescue
and saved the situation.

Early one morning a girl in ragged peasant dress
slipped out of the Louvre, climbed into 2i fiacre and drove
to the Bastille. With wooden sabots clattering on the
cobblestones, she passed tlirough the grim gates and
accosted the captain of the guard. The servant of the
Chevalier de Jars had sent her with an urgent message,
she said, and she must see Monsieur at once.

De Jars was now a privileged prisoner with a room
of his own. So crippled as the result of his " question-
ing " the year before that escape was impossible, he was
allowed to have his own servant and could even receive
visitors. When the jailer woke him at dawn to tell him
that a girl wanted to see him with a message from his
servant, the gallant Chevalier was distinctly peevish.
Sending word that the messenger could wait, he calmly
went to sleep again, while the Queen's fate hung trem-
bling in the balance.

For two agonizing hours the girl sat in the guard
room, exposed to the genial brutality of the soldiers.
Not even a convincing layer of grime could hide the
piquant beauty of her face, and golden curls escaped from
under the wide coif she wore. The guards indicated their
appreciation of the pretty grisette in the approved military
manner. They did not suspect that the bashful wench was
Marie de Hautefort herself, reigning beauty of the Court
and the woman whom the King delighted to honour.

She had already forfeited fame and fortune by her
loyalty to Anne. In this mad escapade, she endangered
her reputation and what the melodramas describe as that
which is " dearer than life." As the slow minutes crept
on, her position became more and more precarious. The
sun had risen and the streets were filling with citizens

l86 MARIE DE ROHAN

going about their daily work. Every moment made it
increasingly difficult to return to the Louvre undis-
covered, but still Marie sat on, determined to see de Jars.

The horseplay of the soldiers had become alarmingly
boisterous when a summons came from de Jars. Marie
de Hautefort was almost at the breaking point, but she
delivered her message : The Queen vv^as in deadly danger
and could only be saved by La Porte. Could de Jars
communicate with him ?

The Chevalier had endured torture and ascended the
scaffold for his Queen, but the most fantastic loyalty has
its limits. At first he refused point-blank. He pointed
out that what she asked was impossible and that he
would only be courting certain destruction by attempting
it.

Desperately, Marie pleaded with him. " See what I
have risked. Monsieur ? Will you fail her ? " At last de
Jars shrugged his shoulders. " Ah well, there is no help
for it, I suppose. I must do what the Queen demands.
I have just escaped from the scaffold. I am about to
return to it."

He may have been reluctant to undertake the task.
Once having agreed, he devoted all his energy and wit
to its accomplishment. La Porte's cell was immediately
below his, but two floors down. In the room between
were a number of prisoners w^ho had been involved in
some riots at Bordeaux. He would have to work through
them and stake everything on their silence.

De Jars was still too lame to walk, but a friend, while
taking his daily exercise on the parapets, managed to
pick up a sharp piece of slate when the guard was not
looking. With this poor tool the Chevalier loosened a
stone flag in liis floor and made an opening into the lower
cell. The piece of slate was then handed down to the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 187

prisoners below, who, in their turn, made an opening
into the dungeon where La Porte lay.

Thus far, all had been plain sailing, but worse diffi-
culties lay ahead. The guard in La Porte's cell left it but
once a day. He carried out the soiled straw, which was
the only floor covering, and brought back a fresh supply.
In that brief interval alone could any messages be passed
down. There was always the chance of the guard coming
back and finding a note, the danger of one of the inter-
vening prisoners betraying the scheme, the risk of the
loose flagstones being found. De Jars carried on and
hoped for the best.

One morning La Porte heard a noise above him and
saw a note dangling at the end of a string. It was
unsigned and said that a gentleman wished to communi-
cate with him. At first the valet ignored the note,
thinking it was one more attempt to trick him into
confession. In time, however, he was convinced that the
unknown writer was really a friend. Then came another
problem. He had no writing materials. How could he
send an answer ?

If necessity is the mother of invention, adversity is a
notorious sharpener of wits. The next morning, when
the string was lowered. La Porte triumphantly attached
his reply. It was only a few words, scratched on a piece
of linen torn from liis shirt. He had made ink by mixing
charcoal from the brazier with the grease in which his
dinner was swimming. His pen was one of the straws
that served for a carpet. The note sufficed, however, to
assure de Jars that he had really got in touch with the
Queen's retainer. After that letters were passed down
telling La Porte exactly what the Queen had already
admitted and ordering him to make a confession to
correspond.

l88 MARIE DE ROHAN

The next time that La Porte was brought out for
examination he seemed less defiant. His inquisitors felt
that the long imprisonment had at last broken down his
courage and put him through a strenuous grilling.
Gradually, and with a convincing display of reluctance,
he made one admission after another. He must have
given a very dramatic performance. When he was finally
sent back to his cell, Laffemas and liis fellows felt confi-
dent that they had wrung the last morsel of information
out of the broken man.

When his confession was brought to Richelieu he
beamed with satisfaction. Here, he felt, were the facts,
and all the facts. The Queen had told the truth for once.
He could now proceed with the evidence he had collected.

All tills had taken time. The Bastille had been built
for a fortress and the stones were thick and strong. Days
of wearisome scraping were needed to wear away the
stone with a piece of flint, days of delay before La Porte
could be convinced that all was well, days of nerve-
wracking anxiety before his " confession " was heard
and accepted. During all this time Anne had lived in an
agony of fear. She realized that she was in deadly
danger. At a time when France was at war with Spain,
she had been in communication with her family in
Madrid and the Netherlands. She had betrayed State
secrets to the enemy and had committed the even greater
crime of conspiring against her lawful husband and his
throne.

Richelieu had kept his promise of interceding for her
with the King, but there is no evidence of his with-
holding any oiF the facts that he had learned. Louis was
again contemplating divorce or separation, and vowed
that he would publish her treachery before the world
as a prelude to shutting her up for life in some fortress.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 189

Havre was mentioned, as being both the strongest and
the furthest from Spain.

Faced with disgrace and imprisonment, Anne even
thouglit of flight to Brussels wiiere she could put herself
under the protection of her brother, the Cardinal-Infant.
Marie de Hautefort, of course, would accompany her.
Rochefoucauld, in his memoirs, says that the Queen
asked him if he would escort her to the border. " I was
young," he writes, " and at an age when a man loves to
do extraordinary things. I could conceive of nothing
more romantic than to carry off the Queen from the
King, her husband, and from the Cardinal who was
jealous of her, and Mademoiselle de Hautefort from the
King who loved her — at one stroke."

Nothing came of the wild scheme. Perhaps Anne
lacked the courage for such a decisive step. Perhaps she
realized that flight would put an ignominious end to her
career as Queen of France. Marie de Medici had fled
with disastrous results. It might be better to wait until
the clouds rolled by.

In her terror and distress of mind, Anne was alone
except for the young maid-of-honour. Marie de Haute-
fort was loyalty itself, but the Queen longed for the
strength and calm assurance of that other Marie, far away
at Tours. The arrest of La Porte had cut all lines of
communication, and in desperation Anne turned to
Rochefoucauld. She begged him to act as messenger once
again and carry a letter to the Duchesse de Chevreuse.
He refused, with every expression of regret. He con-
fessed that he had been obliged to swear a solemn oath
to the Cardinal that he would not carry any letters
whatsoever between the Queen and her friend.

He retired to his estates near Tours, leaving Anne com-
pletely isolated. The Cardinal now had her at liis mercy

190 MARIE DE ROHAN

but he showed great moderation. She remained the
Queen, with unimpaired prestige in the public eye, but
was forced to sign a full confession of her part in the
conspiracy. Holding tliis damning document over her
head, the King and Richelieu now drew up an extra-
ordinary set of rules and regulations to which she was
obliged to consent in writing. In effect, she was for-
bidden to enter any convent without the King's per-
mission. All letters must be written in the presence of
two of her ladies-in-waiting who should, if desirable,
show them to the King ; she was not to write to any
foreign country or receive Lord Montagu or any other
intermediary. Lastly and most especially, she was never
to hold any communication whatsoever with Madame
de Chevreuse.

Having imposed on Anne tliis last humiliation,
Richelieu appeared to be satisfied. Leaving the Queen
to contemplate her fallen estate and his own magna-
minity, he retired majestically to the Palais Cardinal, the
mansion which he had built for liimself near the Louvre.
There he reigned in more than royal state, the acknowl-
edged master of France. The vast palace was a hive of
activity. Courtiers and foreign envoys, field marshals
and admirals, secretaries and diplomats thronged the
spacious rooms. Generals and department heads came
to him for orders, princes of the blood waited, hat
in hand, for the honour of an interview, and nobles
felt exalted if he deigned to notice their existence.

At the Louvre Anne held her small Court, surrounded
by spies. His Majesty the King, weary of conflict with
the domineering Cardinal, had retired limply to St.
Germains. There he pottered about in liis garden and
trained liis birds. Once or twice a week he would come
to Paris to visit his beloved Louise at the convent and

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I9I

then return to his obscurity, unnoticed and unknown.
With King and Queen relegated to the background, the
Queen-Mother in exile and Gaston on the run, Richelieu
reigned supreme. The only fly in the ointment was
Marie de Chevreuse.

She was more than an individual problem, she was
an international menace. At Tours, with her wings
clipped and her activities closely watched, she was com-
paratively harmless. Footloose in Europe, she would be
an incalculable danger. Richelieu wrote in his diary at
this time that it was of vital importance to keep this
" dangerous spirit " in France. Once out of the country
she would *' agitate fresh schemes in favour of de Jars
and Chateauneuf, and would carry fresh disturbances
into affairs which cannot be foreseen."

There was the rub. As a shrewd student of human
nature, the Cardinal could foretell with reasonable
accuracy what a normal person would do under any
given circumstances. Faced by the sublime, single-
minded idiocy of Marie de Chevreuse, he admitted him-
self baffled. She had intrigued for years with the sole
idea of making Anne happy and had three times come
within an ace of overturning the throne. Ten years
before, her intrigues and the fatuous tantrums of Buck-
ingham had caused the Anglo-French war. She was quite
capable of starting another, if it would be of any advan-
tage to the Queen.

Richelieu had quite enough trouble on his hands. All
Europe was involved in the Thirty Years' War. Only
England remained neutral, and the opposed forces were
so equal that the intervention of English armies on either
side would tip the balance.

England itself was torn between two parties. The
Royalists, headed by Henriette Marie and her feeble

192 MARIE DE ROHAN

husband, were hostile to Richelieu and eager for an
alliance with Spain. The Puritan party hated ultra-
Catholic Spain on religious grounds and opposed Hen-
riette Marie on general principles. Secretly, the Cardinal
put many of the Puritan leaders on his pay roll and
furnished funds on condition that England was kept out
of war. Nevertheless the situation was precarious. He
had no desire to have it complicated by the presence in
England of such a firebrand as Marie de Chevreuse.

By imprisoning the Duchess, he would have solved
many of his problems. Such a step might, on the other
hand, precipitate the very crisis he feared. Marie had
many influential friends in England and had made an
indelible impression on the heart of King Charles.
Henriette Marie had been her partner in the last three
plots and the House of Guise-Lorraine, to wliich Chev-
reuse belonged, was a power in Europe. There was only
one way out of the dilemma. He must keep her at
Tours, safely under his hand. She was too hot too hold
tightly, too explosive to drop.

Meanwhile Marie herself was in a state of restless
anxiety that bordered on panic. For three years she had
plotted under the very noses of the Cardinal's spies and
had done her dangerous work with cool self-confidence.
Messengers had come and gone, letters had been received
and despatched with the regularity of a well-organized
postal system. Then, in August, had come a sudden
break-down in the service. La Porte had been arrested
and from that time there had been silence, utter and
absolute.

Richelieu showed the greatest ingenuity in cutting all
lines of communication. In that way he kept Anne shut
off from her allies and insured that Marie would remain
at Tours.

Cardinal Richelieu

[Face page 192

THE INTRIGUIN(5 DUCHESS l^$

He was correct in his diagnosis. Although frantic
with anxiety", it never occurred to Marie to escape without
knowing wliether Anne was safe. She sent messenger
after messenger but without result. Instead of the
information she wanted, there came a stream of letters
from the Cardinal, positively dripping with amiability.

In an attempt to win her confidence, he used his vast
influence on her behalf in the suit she was bringing
against Chevreuse for separation of property. The
Courts decided in her favour and granted her an income
of 8,000 crowns from the estate, but even at that time
the laws delays were notorious. Spontaneously, Richelieu
sent Marie a large sum of money to tide her over until
the red tape should be untied.

For three weeks Marie remained in suspense. She was
on the alert, all a-tingle with a sense of danger, but afraid
to make a decisive move. Richelieu, complacent in the
assurance that no news could reach her, redoubled his
amicable advances. He reckoned without the ingenuity
of lovers, and the wholehearted loyalty of the Queen's
coterie.

Rochefoucauld, after giving a most solemn oath that
he would not go near Tours or have any communication
with the Duchess, had been allowed to leave for his
estates. He kept the letter of his vow but broke it in
spirit. His romantic sympathies were all with the Queen.
He had been one of the transient lovers of the Duchess
and was now deep in love with the fair Marie de Haute-
fort.

One day, late in August, a mutual friend went to
Tours with news of the true state of affairs in Paris. He
told Marie that the Queen, for the moment, was safe.
If the Duchess herself were in danger, some way of
warning her would be found.

194 MARIE DE ROHAN

Once assured of the Queen's safety, Marie prepared
for her own escape. She estimated the Cardinal's prot-
estations of friendship at their true worth and was deter-
mined to fly beyond liis reach. In this crisis she turned
to her old friend, the Archbishop, and the smiles that
she had lavished on him in the past had their reward.
The octogenarian had been ordered to keep a close eye
on her, but Marie quickly made him change his role of
watch-dog for that of fellow-conspirator.

Golden curls and sparse grey locks bent together over
maps of the countryside and his old heart tlirilled to the
call of vicarious adventure. After much discussion, a
dash to the Spanish border was selected as having the
best chance of success. The Archbishop furnished
Marie with maps, letters of introduction to friends en
route and a safe-conduct through his territories.
Armed with these, she completed her arrangements and
waited for the signal to start.

During those critical days, it required all Marie's
dramatic ability to preserve an unruffled front, but she
accomplished it. She wxnt about so calmly that the spies
were thrown off their guard. Her visits to the Arch-
bishop, of course, had been noticed but their little con-
spiracy had been covered by a convenient smoke screen
of scandal. Marie's amorous proclivities were well
known. The good matrons of Tours lifted horrified
eyebrows and shook their powdered heads over the low
moral tone of the Church. They even sympathized
maliciously with the famous beauty who was reduced
to practising her blandishments on an octogenarian.

Apart from this deplorable affair, Marie's behaviour
was almost blatant in its innocence. She moved about
serenely and waited with what patience she could muster
for news from Anne. On September 6, as she was

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 195

returning from Church, Marie felt a small book being
slipped into her hand. Without any change of expression
she walked on, shut herself into her room and then, for
the first time, dared to look at the message. It was a plain
breviary with no identifying marks. She went through
it carefully and even removed the binding without
finding any message. Then she noticed the colour of
the cover. It was red, the sign of danger.

At the silent warning, Marie surrendered for a
moment to a wave of blind panic. The Cardinal was
going to strike. Perhaps at that very minute his guards
were on their way to arrest her. She sprang up in terror.
Then her courage returned, and she made her hasty
preparations with the utmost coolness. Ordering her
carriage, she announced that she was going to visit her
father at Couzieres. Calm and collected, she stepped
into her coach, arranged her voluminous skirts, gave a
few orders to her butler and drove away. With her
rode two servants who had been devoted to her for
years.

The lumbering coach with its decorated panels and
liveried attendants moved through the streets with no
appearance of haste, passed through the gates and took
the road to Couzieres. The spies saw nothing suspicious
in a visit to her father. Not being gifted with sight
which would pierce the solid wood-work of the coach,
they saw no reason to hurry, and their quarry escaped.

Swaying on its leather springs, jarring as the wheels
sank into ruts, rocking and rumbling, the great coach
rolled sedately along until it reached a wooded section of
the road where a by-path turned oS to the South. Then
things began to happen with bewildering speed. The
coach was turned off the road into the wood, the horses
led out from between the shafts, and saddles were

196 MARIE DE ROHAN

adjusted. At Tours, a stately Duchess had entered the
carriage, almost filling it with her billowing skirts. In
her broad hat with its sweeping plumes, her dainty
liigh heeled shoes, her ruffles and laces, she had been the
typical lady of fashion. At the crossroads there sprang
out a lithe young gallant, trim in black velvet with high
riding boots of soft leather. A short cape, swinging from
the shoulder gave a touch of grace to the slim figure,
but a workman-like rapier hung at her side. Evidently
the wearer was no stranger to arms. A bandage covered
much of the forehead and was held in place by a band of
black taffeta. A fair peruque, dressed in the approved
court style, flowed to her shoulders and a broad black
hat with a drooping plume helped to conceal her skilfully-
stained face.

Without a moment's delay Marie sprang into the
saddle and rode off at full speed, followed by the two
servants. The coach was abandoned in the wood, and
it was not until they had ridden twenty miles that Marie
realized with dismay that she had left the precious maps
and letters in it. It was a tragic beginning to her journey
but there was nothing to be done. By now the coach
would have been found by her watch-dogs, and the maps
would have betrayed her destination. Only speed could
save her. She had perhaps twenty miles start and there
might be some delay in organizing pursuit. With that
tiny margin of safety Marie set out undaunted on her
three-hundred-mile ride to Spain.

All afternoon and night she rode, and in the morning
reached Rochefoucauld's estate. By this time she was
exhausted but dared not stop to rest. In any case she
would not endanger her friend by asking for refuge.
Instead she wrote a note, unsigned and in a disguised
hand :

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I97

" Sir, I am a gentleman who asks your aid to preserve
his liberty and perhaps his life. I have fought a duel and
have killed a nobleman of distinction. This forces me to
leave France in haste, as I am pursued. I believe you to
be generous enough to serve me without knowing me.
I need a carriage and a valet."

With all her faults, Marie de Chevreuse was a sports-
man. Even in her own desperate straits she remembered
to protect her friend. It was the plirase " without
knowing me " that saved Rochefoucauld from the
vengeance of Richelieu.

Her excuse, too, was well chosen. Since the Cardinal's
own brother had been killed in a duel, he had been very
severe in his enforcement of the edicts against duelling
and several nobles had been executed for defiance of the
law. This did not prevent the average gentleman from
looking on a duel as the obvious way to settle all argu-
ments, and anyone of them who had fallen foul of the
law in this respect would find a host of sympathizers.

Without hesitation, Rochefoucauld sent the carriage
and one of his servants. Exchanging the saddle for the
cushioned seat, Marie slept all day while she was being
driven steadily southward. During the night the journey
continued, and the morning brought her to the small
estate held by the Sieur de Malbati, one of Rochefou-
cauld's gentlemen-tenants. Here Marie dismissed her
own servants and the carriage and persuaded Malbati
to guide her on the next stage of the way. The good man
accepted her story of the duel but showed some curiosity
as to her identity. Finally she allowed him to gather the
impression that she was the young Duke d'Enghien, son
of the Duke de Conde, and he appeared to be satisfied.

His suspicions may have been aroused later when they
met on the road a gentleman whom she had known at

198 MARIE DE ROHAN

Court. ** If I had met you under different circumstances,
and differently dressed," remarked tlie traveller, *' I
should think that you were Madame de Chevreuse."
Marie cheerfully admitted that there was some resemb-
lance but explained that she was a close relative of the
lady in question.

Whatever Malbati thought, he stood by loyally and
shared the hazards of that hectic journey. It was a succes-
sion of exhausting rides and hair-breadth escapes. By
now the hunt was up, and it was not a question of mere
speed. Main roads must be avoided. The travellers were
often forced to make detours or circle back on their
tracks to elude pursuers. Richelieu's men patrolled every
road and formed a network all over the country. Several
times the fugitives hid in some wood while the guards
rode by, or dodged them in a maze of by-roads.

Apart from the ever-present danger of the pursuit,
there was the hazard of chance encounters. Marie was
too well-known for her own convenience. She had con-
vinced the gentleman on the road but there were other
contretemps f and she must have felt, with exasperation,
that the inns of Southern France were populated by
people from the Court. In a lonely inn, far off the beaten
track, she walked carelessly into a room, only to find two
ladies sitting there who knew her well. Turning on her
heel, she retreated before they could see her face, and
was off again on the endless road.

On other occasion, utterly exhausted, she arrived at an
inn, and took a room. She had just taken off her peruque
and shaken her own hair loose when a chambermaid
walked in and stood staring at the unexpected apparition.
Marie did not stop to explain. Hastily replacing the
bandage on her aching head, she called for her horses
and went her weary way.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I99

After a few such narrow escapes, the fugitives avoided
all inns and slept wherever they could find shelter. Some-
times it was a humble cottage, sometimes the lee of a hay-
stack or a barn. Afraid to approach the regular posting
houses, they bought horses as necessary, ate what they
could find and slept when they could. Malbati would
forage while Marie lay in hiding and on one occasion
she started up in panic from her impromptu bed of hay
in a barn to see a woman looking down at her. There
was no cause for alarm. The farmer's wife had been
watching the sleeping " youth " with romantic admira-
tion and declared that he was " the handsomest lad she
had ever seen." She urged him to come into the house
and accept her hospitality which, according to the story,
was all-embracing.

After some two weeks of this precarious journeying,
Malbati's young son appeared on the scene. He brought
a peremptory message from Madame Malbati, ordering
her husband to come home at once. Evidently inquiries
around Tours had aroused her suspicions, and she had
no intention of allowing her better half to ramble all
over France with a beautiful Duchess.

Malbati himself had come to the conclusion that the
" Duke d'Enghien " was not all that " he " appeared.
Being an obedient spouse he turned homeward, but he
left his son to take his place as escort. The Pyrenees were
said to be infested with bandits, and he was reluctant to
allow the gallant companion of so many hardships to go
on alone. At parting, Marie gave Malbati one of the
few remaining rouleaux of Richelieu's gold and thanked
him wholeheartedly for his help. Then she set out on
the last and most perilous stage of her journey.

At that time, few gentlemen travelled without a
strong escort of armed servants as insurance against the

200 MARIE DE ROHAN

highwaymen and footpads who terrorized the country.
A woman and a lad would have small chance if they fell
in with these gentry. Apart from tliis danger, there were
the natural hazards of the mountainous country that
must be traversed before Marie could reach the border.
She dared not travel by the main roads and was forced to
fall back on goat paths along precipitous cliffs, where
a mis-step meant destruction. Through little stone
villages, where the Basques spoke a language strange to
her, over crags wrapped in cHnging, blinding mist and
down into liidden valleys, she made her way and every
day brought her nearer to safety. The young Malbati
had pierced her disguise and guided her with the inspired
enthusiasm of an enamoured boy-scout. At last she stood
actually on the boundary line, a single step from safety.
Turning to her loyal young companion, she tried to
reward liim for his services, but Malbati refused to take
any money. It had been a labour of love, and he wanted
only one reward.

Tearing off the disfiguring wig, Marie took the lad in
her arms and kissed him, giving liim one moment of
heart-shaking bliss. He turned homewards, the great
adventure over. Marie went on to Madrid.

From the border she sent her jewels, worth many
thousand crowns, back to Rochefoucauld with the
message that he could keep them for her until she could
reclaim them, or inherit them if she never returned. She
also, with characteristic impudence, wrote to the gentle-
man who had recognized her on the road. She told him
that his suspicions were quite justified and asked him to
send her some clothing more suitable to her sex and
circumstances.

Richelieu's troops had been close on her trail several
times but her detours and doublings had baffled them.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 20I

When they finally reached the border, it was to find that
she had crossed it less than twenty-four hours before.
Loath to admit defeat, the Cardinal sent a royal herald,
resplendent in purple and fleurs-de-lis, across the frontier.
He announced to all whom it might concern that
Madame de Chevreuse might return to France in perfect
safety but Madame was by that time well on her way to
Madrid. She knew nothing about the herald until later,
but it is doubtful if she would have trusted in the
Cardinal's good faith.

Marie crossed the border a fugitive, ragged and travel-
stained. She entered Madrid like a visiting queen. At
the first news of her approach, King Philip had sent a
vast escort to meet her with several State coaches, each
drawn by six horses. By this elaborate welcome, Philip
showed his gratitude for her services to his sister and
also did the thing most calculated to annoy Richelieu.

Marie was installed in state apartments in the palace
and treated as an honoured guest by both King and
Queen. The grandees of Spain paid her stately compli-
ments and the courtiers vied with each other in doing
homage to their distinguished visitor. Her welcome had
a political aspect but her intrinsic charm won for her a
personal triumph. She was soon as feted and adored as
she had been in England or at the Court of Lorraine.
Sonnets were written to her eye-brows, guitars twanged
beneath her windows and hearts were laid recklessly at
her little feet. Even the chilly Pliilip seems to have
succumbed to her charms. He offered her a large pension
and a permanent place at his Court.

A greater tribute was paid her by that veteran states-
man, Olivarez, the Richelieu of Spain. He was so
impressed by her political acumen that he urged her to
join the Council of State and frequently asked her advice

202 MARIE DE ROHAN

on foreign affairs. Spain was at her feet, Philip and
Olivarez at her service. Marie was now in a position to
carry on her campaign against Richelieu under the most
favourable conditions. With truly feminine inconsistency,
she found her position in Madrid intolerable. For years
she liad intrigued against King and Cardinal and in each
cabal had looked on Spain as her natural ally. She had
seen nothing unpatriotic in arranging that Spanish troops
should invade France as part of her wide-flung schemes.
Now that she was actually in the heart of the enemy's
country, she had a violent attack of patriotism, belated
but none the less sincere.

Marie decided to take refuge in a neutral country
where she would not be hampered by conscientious
scruples. For a few weeks she waited, recovering from
the strain of her nerve-wracking journey. When it is
remembered that Marie was nearing forty, and lived
in an age when women were not the athletic
creatures of to-day, her adventures become even more
incredible.

During her stay in Madrid, she accepted the hospi-
tality of the King and Queen but steadfastly refused to
take any Spanish money. In view of the fact that
Philip's sister, Anne, was heavily in her debt, and that
her own finances were in a precarious state, her scruples
do her credit. Early in January she sailed away for
England, leaving Philip disconsolate.

It was thirteen years since Marie had crossed the
Channel as matron of honour to the royal bride. She
was then at the zenith of her career, fabulously wealthy,
ravishingly beautiful, the bright star of the French
Court. For two hilarious months she had disported
herself at sunny Hampton Court or set an amused
London by the ears. The gallant young King and his

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 203

French bride were at the beginning of a reign that
seemed full of promise and the future seemed cloudless.

Tempora mutantur. She reached the dreary shores of
an England wrapped in chilly, wintry fog. A cloud of
uneasy gloom rested heavily on the spirits of English-
men in those dark days before the outbreak of civil
war. At Court a haggard and worried King kept up a
gallant show of state with pitifully little money, and all
over the country men were arming for the inevitable
struggle.

To this sad ghost of a Court came Marie, herself a
refugee and woefully short of funds. Charles had nothing
to give her but welcome, but that she received in heart-
warming abundance. In return, by her sheer verve and
unquenchable gaiety, she lifted the pall of gloom and
brought some of her own sunny philosophy to a Court
that had almost forgotten how to laugh. Montagu,
writing to a friend in France, said : " She makes our
Court so gay." It was an unconscious tribute to her
gallant spirit. Heaven knows she had little cause for
merriment. All her estates had been confiscated and the
income diverted to the royal treasury. Chevreuse, as
usual, was one short jump ahead of his creditors, and
her noble father had involved himself in a financial
tangle that defied solution. Deprived of her own
income, unable to get help from her family, Marie was
facing absolute destitution unless she borrowed from
her English friends, and that she positively would not
do. Worst of all, she had been obliged to use Richelieu's
money for her escape, and the thought of being in liis
debt was intolerable.

It was not a hopeful prospect but Marie faced it
courageously and managed to extract a good deal
of amusement out of life. The eye-filling presence of

204 MARIE DE ROHAN

Buckingham was missing from the picture, but there
remained many friends of former days, and she daily
added to her long list of conquests. Lord Holland was
at hand, always her devoted servant to command. So
were Montagu, young Craft, the enamoured youth of
Tours, and many another.

Richelieu had groaned in spirit when he heard that,
after all his precautions, the Duchess had actually
arrived in England. He anticipated every kind of
trouble and her rapturous reception at Court seemed to
justify his forebodings. His spies reported her ever-
widening sphere of influence, but they were also aware
of her financial difficulties. There lay a gleam of hope.
The Cardinal hoped to reduce her to such straits that she
would surrender, or allow herself to be lured back to
France by the restoration of her estates. As long as he
held the purse-strings he could play a waiting game.

So matters continued during that winter, but in the
meantime a very curious event had taken place in France.
It was to affect not only Marie's checkered career but
the whole course of history.

CHAPTER XIII

IT was early in January, 1638, that Marie de Chev-
reuse arrived in England. Just about that time a
snow-storm that has since become historic wrapped
Paris in a whirling, blinding mantle of white. It was a
curious snow-storm. It hid many things and has kept
them hidden for three hundred years. To this day no
one can say with any accuracy what happened or, to be
more explicit, what probably did not happen. The veil
of obscurity is, to some extent, lifted for us by Madame
de Motteville in her memoirs. Her story is interesting,
if true, and shall be quoted verbatim.

" On crut fneme que ce jut un jour qu'etant demeure tard
au convent, il jut un si mauvais temps que le roi jut oblige de
demeurer au L,ouvre ou il n^y avait d'' autre lit que celui de la
reine. Quoiqu'il ce soit, ce jut alors que Dieu donna a la
¥ ranee cet august prince, l^ouis XIV' qui jut nomme du
peuple Dieudonne.''^ The literal translation deserves careful
notice. " It was even believed that one day, having stayed
late at the convent, the weather was so bad that the
King was obliged to stay at the Louvre where there was
no other bed but the Queen's. However it may have been,
it was then that God gave to France that august Prince,
Louis XIV, who was called by the people the ' God-
given '."

Interesting ? Yes. True ? Possibly. Let us study the
evidence. „

In the first place, the story is only told by Madame de
Motteville who has constituted herself the champion

205

2o6 MARIE DE ROHAN

of Anne against all attacks. It was written during the
reign of Louis XIV who would not relish any liint of
his own illegitimacy. Even then the good lady is careful
not to commit herself to a direct statement. She uses
the gossips' phrase *' on crutj^ the indefinite " it was
believed " that involves no responsibility for the
speaker.

In the second place, it is incredible that, in the dead of
winter, there should only be one bed in the Louvre.
During the summer the Court sometimes moved out to
the Palace of St. Germains, taking all the furniture along.
But Louis was living almost alone in the hunting-lodge.
Anne was maintaining a small court at the Louvre, yet
her normal household numbered a hundred persons of
high rank, besides stewards, cup-bearers, secretaries,
physicians, musicians, valets, chamber-maids, etc. There
were over one hundred and fifty cooks and kitchen
helpers alone, bringing the total household of the
Louvre to over six hundred.

In all that densely populated rabbit-warren of a palace,
is it even remotely possible that a bed could not have
been found for the King ? Anne may, of course, have
beguiled her husband into sharing her suite. He had
just come from a meeting with Louise de la Fayette, who
was continually urging reconciliation. If there had been
some such rapprochement, why did he retire again into his
celibate shell ? Even when the arrival of the heir was
imminent, he remained coldly uninterested and had to
be dragged forcibly to his wife's bedside to greet the
offspring.

A recent biographer of Louis XIV says that Richelieu
brought about the reconciliation and there was a " well-
authenticated " meeting at St, Maur. He fails, however,
to give any authority for his statement. He also fails to

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 207

explain why and on what occasion the King and Queen
went, in the dead of winter, to the Duke de Conde's
summer estate. If such a " well-authenticated meeting "
had taken place, it seems strange that Anne would not
have mentioned it to her adoring biographer. One is
forced to the conclusion that the Queen had a reason
for her vagueness on this important point.

She was in desperate straits, humiliated and defeated.
She faced neglect during the King's lifetime, followed by
an inglorious existence as ex-Queen. Only the appearance
of an heir could save the situation, and the heir duly
appeared.

Contemporary historians are unanimous in their con-
viction of the illegitimacy of Louis XIV. They are any-
thing but unanimous in their selection of a father for
him. One writer announces without hesitation that he
was the son of a certain handsome captain of the royal
guard named Comminges. In support of this idea is the
fact that Comminges was shown great favour by Anne
during her regency and thus excited the jealousy of
Mazarin. Another candidate was the young Duke de
Beaufort, son of the Duke de Vendome, who was
appointed by Anne as guardian of the royal children and
treated with marked affection.

Popular gossip attributed the honour of being the
father of the Prince to the Marquis d'Ancre, judging by
a ribald rhyme that went the rounds in Paris. Modesty
forbids quotation but it was to the general effect that the
child should be black since it was made of ink. The
French word for ink is " encre," which makes the poor
pun sufficiently obvious.

Some historians suggest that Richelieu took advantage
of Anne's abject submission and supplanted the King in
the bedroom, as he had already done in the council

208 MARIE DE ROHAN

chamber. There is much to be said both for and against
this last tlieory. The appearance of an heir after twenty-
three years of married life was calculated to rouse the
Cardinal's keenest suspicions, but he accepted the
miracle without comment. He even rewarded the
bearer of the news with a cup of gold.

Anne's own conduct is a curious blend of bravado and
shame. A contemporary writes that " The Queen herself
was so little hopeful of being believed that she had
scarcely made the announcement when she took refuge
in Val de Grace, as in a fortress, from the argus eyes of
the world and from the suspicions of her husband." The
non-committal attitude of Louis suggests that Richelieu
advised him to resign himself to the inevitable and take
the heir that Fate had sent him. Almost any tiling was
better than having Gaston on the throne.

The husband, thus miraculously endowed with a son,
treated the whole affair with apathetic calm. He ignored
the Queen during her pregnancy, and received the
congratulations of the Court with a marked lack of
enthusiasm.

Richelieu, on the contrary, treated Anne with great
cordiality. He even released La Porte in the spring and
allowed him to return to the Queen's service. Another
prisoner freed from the Bastille at this time was de Jars,
whose liberty must be credited to the efforts of Marie de
Chevreuse.

She persuaded King Charles to intercede with
Richelieu for the unfortunate victim. The Cardinal
drove a hard bargain, and finally released de Jars on the
understanding that he might be allowed to raise two
regiments of mercenaries in Scotland. De Jars was then
handed over to Lord Digby, the English Ambassador in
Paris, and made his way to Rome.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 209

The Cardinal, in reality, was glad to do this favour for
the King of England. In some measure it would counter-
act the upsetting influence of the Duchess and would
also pave the way for reconciliation with her. He
wanted the lady back in France but could not, with
dignity, make the first move.

It was the news of Anne's approaching motherhood
that finally opened the door to negotiations. When the
announcement reached a frankly incredulous London,
Marie saw an opportunity to write to her friend and
promptly seized it. She had been forbidden to com-
municate with Anne, but on such an occasion as this, it
was quite en ?'egle for any member of the Court circle to
write a formal letter of congratulation.

Marie's letter was a triumph of stately grace, obviously
written for the Cardinal's critical eye. In polished prose
she expressed her joy at the news and her prayers for a
happy outcome, and regretted that, owing to unfortunate
circumstances, for which she was in no way responsible,
she was unable to deliver her congratulations in person.

Enclosed with this masterpiece of bland impudence
went a private note begging Anne to pay to Richelieu
the money that Marie owed him. If the Queen would
only relieve her mind of this weight of obligation, the
balance of her debt to the Duchess might wait indefinitely.

Evidently the official letter became known to Richelieu.
It gave him the desired opening and he plunged into
negotiations with the exile. In his first letter to her he
said graciously that there was no reason why she should
not return to her own country. He promised her pardon
of all past offences if she, in turn, would refrain from any
further activities against the State. It was the opening
move in a game of political chess, in which the great
minister met an opponent as shrewd and wily as himself.

2IO MARIE DE ROHAN

Fearful lest Marie should upset the delicate political
equilibrium in England, Richelieu wanted to get her
back to France. Once there, he would very possibly
imprison her for his own peace of mind. This was
Marie's great fear. She, in turn, longed for France and
her children but she could not face the prospect of
incarceration. Better penniless exile in England than a
fortress in France.

The duel went on for months, the combatants fencing
with meticulous courtesy, manoeuvring for position,
countering each move with consummate skill. In the
end it was a pyrrhic victory in wliich both lost.

In reply to Marie's request for an assurance of pardon,
the Cardinal drew up a magnificent safe-conduct, gor-
geous with seals and ribbons, granting amnesty for all
treasonous dealings with the Duke of Lorraine. Marie
blandly retorted that she had never had any treasonous
dealings with the Duke of Lorraine and could not
consent to be branded with such a charge. After more
mancEuvring, the Cardinal made concessions. He sent
her a full pardon and assurance of safety, arranged for her
to sail for France on a certain date, and sent money to
cover all expenses.

Armed with this written assurance, Marie paid her
debts, took leave of her friends and embarked. Just as
the boat was about to sail, an anonymous note was
handed to her, written in the cipher used in the last
conspiracy. In it the writer solemnly warned her that
Richelieu was only luring her back to France in order
to imprison her.

Without a moment's hesitation, Marie had her baggage
carried ashore again. Then she told the Captain that she
had changed her mind and gave liim the note to deliver
to Richelieu. The correspondence began again. The

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 2X1

Cardinal vowed that his assurances of safety were
sincere. She politely begged leave to doubt him.

Once again Marie was on the verge of sailing when
she received a second warning. This one was from her
lover and faithful friend, Charles of Lorraine. He
declared, over his own signature, that she was going into
a trap and pleaded with her to remain out of France.

This letter also went to Richelieu and, in his reply, he
allowed impatience to get the better of discretion.
" Madame," he wrote, " if you are innocent, your safety
depends on yourself. If the levity of the human mind,
not to say of the sex, has caused you to commit something
of wliich His Majesty has cause to complain, you will
find in his goodness everything which you can possibly
expect of it." Not having any great expectations of the
benefits to be gained from Louis' " goodness," Marie
was anything but reassured.

Finally, while she was still undecided, came the third
warning from the friend whom she had least reason to
doubt. One day at Court the Duke de Chevreuse
laugliingly accused the Queen of keeping his wife away
from him. Anne dared not speak frankly, but she smiled
at the Duke, and said casually that she, too, missed her
friend but she " would never advise her to come back."

When this was reported to Marie, she understood it
as a veiled warning and decided definitely to resist all
the Cardinal's blandishments.

Meanwhile Chevreuse had been pressed into service
by Richelieu. The Duke wrote incessantly, complaining
about his loneliness and his difficulties in bringing up
the family. He had taken the line of least resistance by
unceremoniously consigning his daughters to a convent.
He wanted them near Paris, but the Cardinal refused to
have any more females of that family within reach, and

212 MARIE DE ROHAN

immured them in a little provincial convent out of the
danger zone.

Marie's letters to her husband are very characteristic.
In one she says : " I ardently desire to see myself again
in France in a position to retrieve our fortunes and live
tranquilly with you and my children, but I see so much
danger in going there, as I understand affairs, that I
cannot risk it, knowing that I can neither work to your
advantage or theirs if I am in trouble. I must therefore
patiently seek some safe road which will finally lead me
there with the repose of mind which I cannot now find."

The letter casts some interesting lights on the many-
sided personality of Marie de Chevreuse. It shows her
clear reasoning, her generous desire to work for those
she loves, and her calm assumption that she can handle
situations where Chevreuse is all at sea. With all this is
her virtuous desire for "tranquillity," which she would
inevitably devote to wrecking the Cardinal's peace of
mind.

Even while Marie was writing wistfully about " repose
of mind " and a *' safe road," she was deep in another
cabal. From London she was in touch with the Duke de
Vendome, the Count de Soissons, de Jars and other
exiles. Holland and Montagu were in her confidence
and through official channels she corresponded with
Madrid and Rome. A certain Rosetti who had at one
time enjoyed her favour held an important position at
the Papal court and acted as her agent there.

Richelieu suspected, or knew of, her activities and
made one last attempt to get her back to France The
Duke de Chevreuse was swamped with debts and his
affairs were in the most hopeless confusion. While
keeping tight hold on Marie's own estates, Richelieu
offered to help the Duke out of his difficulties if he

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 213

would fetch his wife home. Chevreuse professed himself
the most humble grateful servant of His Eminence,
declared that the treasonous behaviour of his wife was
abhorrent to him, and promised faithfully to bring her
back.

Then he left the august presence and cheerfully
repudiated all his debts, saying that the Cardinal himself
had said that he need not pay them. At this, Richelieu
flew into a royal rage and informed everyone within
earshot that the Duke was " as dishonest as his wife.'*
Then, sending for the impecunious and impenitent
nobleman, he broke the news to him that his debts must
be paid, and that he would not get any assistance until
Marie was actually on French soil.

Very crestfallen, Chevreuse set out for England to
capture his erring wife but he was too late. Warned in
the nick of time, Marie had left for Brussels the day
before the Duke arrived. Once again, with only a few
hours' grace, she had escaped the Cardinal's grasp and
was free to carry on her little games. Brussels was already
a hotbed of sedition, with Marie de Medici and her
coterie ready to take a hand in anything that would
embarrass Richelieu. Inevitably, the presence of the
intriguing Duchess would stir up this hornets' nest, but
for the time being Richelieu was obliged to leave her
alone.

During the two years that she had spent in England,
an amusing situation had been developing at Court,
although His Eminence failed to see the humour of it.

With the retirement of Louise de la Fayette into her
convent, Louis had found himself lonelier than ever and
turned for consolation to Marie de Hautefort. Her
temporary fall from favour had not taught the maid-of-
honour discretion, and they fell to quarrelling again with

214 MARIE DE ROHAN

unabated vigour. " You love an ingrate," Louis would
say gloomily, " and one day you will find out how she
will repay you for your services."

For once in his futile life, Louis was right but Marie
was deaf to warnings. She continued devoted to Anne
but pleased Louis by her incessant attacks on RicheUeu.
At this time His Majesty was literally seething with
grievances against liis Minister of State. He felt himself
bullied, brow-beaten, involved in endless wars that
never seemed to accomplish anything, cut off from his
mother and friends, hampered in every direction.

Finding in Marie de Hautefort a kindred soul,
he wooed her doggedly, in spite of her sarcastic
tongue, and gave a number of hunting parties in her
honour.

For much of the Court gossip at this period we are
indebted to the memoirs of La Grande Mademoiselle,
the daughter of Gaston by the Montpensier heiress.
Describing one of these hunting parties she writes :
" We were all dressed in colours and rode fine ambUng
horses, richly caparisoned. To sliield us from the sun,
each of us had a hat trimmed with a quantity of plumes.
Coming home the King placed himself in my coach,
between me and Mademoiselle de Hautefort, and con-
versed agreeably to us of everytliing. At that time he
suffered us to speak freely enough of the Cardinal and
the proof that it did not displease him was that he spoke
thus himself."

Determined as ever to remove Marie de Hautefort
from the King's side, RicheUeu fell back on his old
scheme of supplying a counter-attraction, but this time
he resolved to eschew all women. The hussies were
altogether too illogical and unaccountable to be of any
use to a sane man. He would select a young man, show

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS Zl$

him clearly that loyalty to His Eminence would be richly
rewarded, and then turn him loose.

The new candidate for the King's fickle affections was
Henri d'Effiat, Count de Cinq Mars. His father had been
one of the Cardinal's most trusted servants, and there
was every reason to believe that the son would follow
in his steps. Cinq Mars was young and light-hearted,
graceful in manner, witty in speech and astonishingly
good to look at. There was a paucity of brain behind
the beautiful face, a hint of petulance in the full mouth,
but so much the better. A weak man would be easier
to handle.

Richelieu had an interview with Cinq Mars in which
he explained clearly the reward to be expected for
faitliful service, and, even more clearly, what would
be the penalty for failure. Then he placed his new tool
among the King's gentlemen-in-waiting and sat back
to await results. They exceeded his wildest hopes.

No sooner had Louis seen the handsome lad than he
conceived a violent infatuation for him. In a few weeks
his feelings were so ardent and so openly demonstrated
that Chavigny wrote to a friend : *' Never has the King
had a passion for anyone more violent than for him.
I hear that he said to Mademoiselle de Hautefort that he
could no longer pretend to have any affection for her
because he had given it all to Cinq Mars."

Richelieu, always implacable, could now take his
revenge on the maid-of-honour who had dared to flout
him. He went to the King and demanded her dismissal,
with his resignation as the alternative. Louis was aghast
at having to make a decision but soon capitulated. Marie
de Hautefort had faded into insignificance in the glamour
of this new love while Richelieu was indispensable. He
wrote to the Minister : " Everything has gone well since

2l6 MARIE DE ROHAN

you have been in charge of affairs. That is what makes
me pray you not to retire, for in that case my affairs
would go badly. Monsieur (Gaston) and many others
would be glad to have me rid myself of you, but be
assured that I will protect you against everything, and
that I will never abandon you."

Marie de Hautefort was dismissed from Court and
came to take her leave of the King. Louis wept, but even
at that emotional moment Marie must needs allow her
sharp tongue to wag. " You are the King," she remarked
sarcastically, " and I am your friend, yet you cannot
keep me with you because the Cardinal will not allow
it."

To Anne, the loss of the girl was a serious blow. It
deprived her of the last of her intimate group of friends.
Once again, like a magician producing rabbits out of a
hat, Richelieu supplied a perfect substitute.

He appeared before her one day with a tall, elegant
young Italian by his side. " You should be very fond of
this gentleman, Madame," he said sardonically. " See
how strongly he resembles the Duke of Buckingham."

It was an introduction hardly calculated to endear the
newcomer to Anne, but strangely enough this was the
first meeting of two lovers whose romance was to last
until death parted them. The substitute so thoughtfully
provided was Giulio Mazarini, better known to history
as Mazarin. He was the young Papal Envoy who had
made such a dramatic appearance on the battlefield at
Casale. He had returned to France as one of Richelieu's
secretaries and, on the death of Father Joseph in the
previous year, had taken his place as confidential secre-
tary and unofficial adviser.

Mazarin at this time was in the early thirties, in the
prime of liis dark beauty. He was a graceful, supple

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 217

creature with a musical voice, whose every note was
a caress. His liquid black eyes glowed with respectful
fervour and he was a master of romantic technique.
Without a moment's delay he laid siege to the heart of
the lonely Queen. His sympathetic adoration, his humble
devotion, his whole attitude of restrained passion fell
like balm on Anne's hurt vanity and restored her self-
esteem. Isolated from all her former associates, Anne fell
ever more and more under the Italian's subtle spell. It
was a master stroke on the part of Richelieu. Through
his secretary, he detached the Queen from her treasonous
associates and made her more in sympathy with his own
policies.

In this same year, 1640, Anne presented her astonished
husband with another son, Phillippe, later Duke of
Orleans.

Louis was too engrossed with his own love affair to
be disturbed by his wife's eccentric proceedings. He
adored Cinq Mars to the point of blind infatuation and
refused to be parted from that sprightly youth night or
day. Cinq Mars was even obliged to share the royal bed
with his elderly admirer. In return for the pleasure of
his company, Louis loaded the favourite with cosdy
gifts. He even astonished the Court by conferring on
him the exalted post of Grand Equerry, which carried
with it the courtesy title of Monsieur le Grand. As a
general thing this post was only given to noblemen of
highest rank, and implied the intimate friendship and
confidence of the King.

Cinq Mars, while flattered by his sudden rise to the
dizzy heights of royal favour, was far from returning
the affection lavished on him. On the contrary he was
bored to distraction with the King's " long yellow face
and his interminable hunting stories." He was far

2lS MARIE DE ROHAN

happiejc lounging in a perfumed boudoir than messing
about in the mud digging out foxes' earths or getting up
at dawn to snare magpies. He disliked hunting, hated
gardening and positively loathed being taken down into
the kitchen to make candy.

The handsome Equerry was very popular with the
ladies of the Court, but his affections were divided
between the Princess Marie de Gonzaga and the famous
courtesan, Marion de Lorme, who had been Richelieu's
mistress. Louis had dragged him out to St. Germains to
share his rustic amusements, but Cinq Mars refused to
be caged. Every night he would ride into Paris, spend
his time and energies with the ladies of his heart, and
gallop back to St. Germains at dawn. Naturally enough
he was not in the best of tempers when wakened an hour
later to go hunting with His Majesty.

Between the jealous, exacting King and liis spoiled
darling a series of quarrels broke out, as furious as they
were futile. Cinq Mars was notliing but a peevish boy,
but Louis took these squabbles with deadly seriousness.
He would spend hours laboriously writing out verbatim
accounts which were sent post haste to Richelieu. The
unfortunate Minister must needs drop whatever work he
was doing and travel out to St. Germains to arbitrate.
Without allowing a glint of humour to mar the majestic
solemnity of his behaviour, Richelieu would adjudicate
between the two combatants and bring about a reconcili-
ation. Often it required as much finesse and tact as an
international treaty.

Louis, poor humorless wretch, would always insist
on drawing up a formal peace pact and some of these
fatuous documents are still in existence.

On one occasion. Cinq Mars, exasperated by the
jealous watchfulness of the King, sent him a peremptory

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 219

message ordering him " not to be, for the future, so con-
stantly at my heels." Louis promptly wrote to Richelieu :
" I told him that, considering liis obligations to me, he
ought not to address me in that manner and he answered
in his usual way that he did not want my kindness ; that
he could very well do without it and that he would be
just as well pleased to be plain Monsieur de Cinq Mars
as Monsieur le Grand, but as for changing his ways or
his life, he couldn't do it ; and so, he continually nagging
at me and I at him, we came as far as the courtyard, etc."

Evidently Richelieu made peace on this occasion. A
solemn document was drawn up stating that : " We, the
undersigned, certify to whomsoever it may concern that
we are well pleased with each other and have never been
in such perfect mutual understanding as at this present
time. In testimony whereof we have signed this present
certificate."

Other quarrels were caused by Cinq Mars' interference
in military matters. Louis fancied himself a genius along
these lines and was quick to resent the intrusion of an
amateur. When Cinq Mars ventured to criticize a plan
submitted by one of the Generals, the King turned on
him savagely, asking him if had been out at dawn inspect-
ing the lines. Then he remarked to the General " He is
the most ungrateful man on earth. A Kingdom would
not pay his expenses. He actually has, at this moment,
more than three hundred pairs of boots."

The connection between the military situation and the
state of the favourite's wardrobe is not obvious to the
logical mind but Louis was nursing a twofold grievance.
He had the parsimony of a petit bourgeois and grudged
the very gifts he gave. This quarrel too was smoothed
over and another treaty drawn up : " To-day, May 19,
1640, the King being at Soissons, His Majesty has seen

220 MARIE DE ROHAN

fit to promise Monsieur le Grand that during all this
campaign he will not be angry with liim. If Monsieur
le Grand should give him some slight cause, the com-
plaint will be made by His Majesty to the Cardinal with-
out bitterness."

It is a revealing document, for all its stately wording.
Louis was the absolute monarch of France, but he must
needs run whining to his Minister because a boy of
eighteen was rude to liim. Historical research plays
havoc with *' the divinity that doth hedge about a king."

All this extravagant lunacy went to the head of a boy
never overburdened with brains. Finding that he could
wheedle or bully the King into granting his slightest
wish, he conceived the magnificent idea of becoming a
peer of France and contracting a brilliant alliance. He
demanded the hand of Marie de Gonzaga, daughter of
the Duke of Mantua, and seemed likely to gain his end.
Then Richelieu intervened. He brushed the matrimonial
project aside with careless contempt and reminded Cinq
Mars that he had been given his post with the King in
order that he might make himself useful. The boy was
dismissed from his presence with a final warning that he
would do well to justify his promotion lest a worse
thing befall him.

Cinq Mars ignored the veiled threat and plunged on
his headlong way. His next error was to accompany
the King to a meeting of the Council, with the intention
of becoming a power in the State. At liis entrance,
Richelieu raised his arched eyebrows, postponed all the
important items on the agenda and wasted the time of
the Council on trivial details, remarking sarcastically
that State affairs should not be discussed before children.

In delivering such a crushing rebuke Richelieu himself
made an error that caused him infinite trouble. He had

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 221

raised the boy from obscurity to fame but gained nothing
by it. Cinq Mars believed that he owed his rapid promo-
tion to his own ineffable charms and saw no reason to
be grateful to the Cardinal. This cruel snub wounded
his vanity and from that moment Cinq Mars was the
bitter opponent of his benefactor. Before long he was
in touch with the malcontents at Brussels, headed by
Marie de Chevreuse.

CHAPTER XIV

WITH Marie's flight to Brussels in 1640, she
entered on the final phase of her long duel with
Richelieu. She had engineered three great
conspiracies against the Minister, and in each case her
love for the Queen had been the motive. In the fourth
cabal, in which she was about to engage, her aims were
purely personal. Richelieu stood between her and a life
of ease and comfort in France. Unless she were prepared
to resign herself to poverty and exile, he must be removed.
Brussels was at that time the seat of the Spanish
Government in the Netherlands and the headquarters of
the faction opposed to Richeheu. The Duke of Lorraine,
who had been forced by the Cardinal to abdicate his
throne, had taken up liis residence there. So also had
his sister, Margaret, whose marriage to Gaston had
never been officially recognized by France. Marie de
Medici had for years made Brussels her home, but she
was now too old to take any active part in the incessant
plots and had wandered off to Cologne.

Another nucleus of disaffection was the semi-indepen-
dent border fortress of Sedan, ruled by the Duke de
Bouillon. With him was the Count de Soissons, still
nursing his perennial grievances. Between Brussels,
Sedan and Paris a stream of transients came and went,
visiting exiled friends and keeping open the lines of
communication. Scattered about in various adjacent
countries were other nobles, who had been driven from
France by the harsh policy of the Red pest. All had

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 223

grievances which they burned to avenge, but the only
thing they had in common was their hatred of the
Cardinal. There were almost as many plots as there
were plotters. It was Marie's first task to co-ordinate all
their abortive efforts and to bring order out of chaos.

To all the plotters, Spain figured in the dual role of
ally and banker. Richelieu's anti-Spanish policy made
him a dangerous foe, and it was sound tactics to harass
him in every way possible. Each petty conspiracy
engaged some fraction of his attention and prevented
him from concentrating all his faculties on the war. As
Michelet says : *' This great statesman wasted his time
and strength struggliag against the innumerable insects
which kept stinging him."

Immediately after her arrival in Brussels, Marie spread
her web of aUure before Don Antonio Sarmiento, the
Spanish Governor, and soon entangled him in its
fragrant meshes. He became her lover and the enthusi-
astic supporter of her schemes. Her next move was to
prolong the war between France and Spain. The busier
Richelieu was, the less time he would have to watch
his political foes.

Of late, victory had perched on the French standards
and Spain was almost ready to capitulate. Peace parleys
were actually going on and Richelieu had hopes of
winning terms extremely favourable to France. At the
last moment the Spanish plenipotentiaries began to
haggle with renewed energy. They re-opened questions
that had been satisfactorily settled and stiffened their
resistance to the French demands. Richelieu was at a
loss to understand this change of heart until he dis-
covered the finger of Marie in the diplomatic pie. In
disgust he wrote to Louis : " No tolerable peace can
be hoped for. Madame de Chevreuse had given the

224 MARIE DE ROHAN

Spaniards such a description of the situation in France
that they will not come to terms."

Holding Spain back with one hand, Marie now
reached out the other and gathered in Lorraine. On the
abdication of Duke Charles, the throne had been taken
by his brother, the Cardinal-Prince. This doughty prelate
had won a throne and a bride by an astonishing bit of
chicanery. In those days, a cardinal need not necessarily
be in Holy Orders, but our friend of Lorraine was
actually a consecrated Bishop and, as such, vowed to
perpetual cehbacy. This made matrimony difficult, and
his choice had fallen on his own cousin, which further
complicated matters.

After a little thought, the Cardinal solved his problem
with an ingenuity worthy of a better cause. Doubtful
of getting a Papal dispensation, he, in his capacity of
Cardinal, granted to himself, as Duke, a dispensation to
marry his cousin. Then still as Cardinal, he issued to
himself, as Bishop, a licence to perform the ceremony.
The marriage was duly solemnized by a deputy, and the
new Duke calmly fell to work to found a family.

This ingenious soul had signed a treaty of alliance
with France, but a trifle like that weighed on him not
at all. He readily fell in with Marie's schemes and pre-
pared to support the conspiracy.

Within a few short weeks Marie had thus destroyed
the fruit of Richelieu's diplomacy and snatched away the
profits of years of war. With Spain and Lorraine solidly
at her back, she now wanted to gather in the strategic
fortress of Sedan. It was at this point that a suave and
charming young gentleman called Alexandre Campion
appeared in Brussels. He came to see her on behalf of
the Count de Soissons, who was on the warpath and
wanted her assistance.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 225

Soissons was preparing to invade France and over-
tlirow the Cardinal. Tlie Dukes de Bouillon and de
Guise were in the plot and Lorraine was willing to join
in the hope of regaining certain fortresses seized by
Richelieu. Soissons wanted the help of Spain in liis
enterprise, and it was with this object that Campion
was sent to Brussels to enlist the help of the Duchesse
de Chevreuse.

Campion came, saw, and was conquered. He also
achieved some success in his wooing, if we are to accept
as evidence the sarcastic congratulations in Soisson's
letters. He was less successful in his mission. Marie
was a veteran player of the game and had no use for these
amateurish efforts. She thought it wiser to wait a little
while before making the attempt. Louis was in very
poor health and his death would solve many problems.
She pointed out that a little patience might save trouble
and ensure success.

Soissons wanted help, not good advice, and he replied
to her sane counsel with impatient rudeness. Campion
at once took up the cudgels in her behalf. He assured
the Count repeatedly that Madame de Chevreuse had
already done much for him : ** She has written to the
Archduke so that you will have his assistance and she
has entire power over Antonio Sarmiento. She is very
zealous for you and charges herself with furthering your
affairs as though they were her own."

Soissons would not listen. He craved action and was
egged on by Puylaurens, Gaston's friend and adviser.
With the avowed intention of overthrowing the govern-
ment and putting Gaston on the throne, the Count
marched into France at the head of a small army, eked
out by Spanish troops. A pitched battle was fought at
La Marfee between the rebels and a small royalist force.

226 MARIE DE ROHAN

The rebels were victorious, but a chance bullet put an
end to the hectic career of Soissons. With the leader
dead, the rebellion collapsed. Guise fled. Bouillon was
imprisoned, and peace reigned again.

Notliing daunted by this disaster, Marie went steadily
on with her plans. At this stage in the game. Cinq Mars
took a hand and tilings became interesting.

Confident of liis power over the King, the young
favourite had begun to attack the Cardinal openly. To
his deHght, Louis did not check him. Cinq Mars was too
feather-brained to study the secretive nature of liis
patron and fell into the same error as Marie de Medici
had made before him. Assuming that Louis' silence was
a tacit agreement, he became reckless in his denuncia-
tions and even discussed plans for removing the Cardinal.
Louis listened, smiled and remained non-committal.

Finally Cinq Mars went so far as to ask Troisville, the
Captain of the Musketeers, if he would kill RicheUeu.
That blunt soldier replied that " murder was really not
his business but it would be if the King commanded him
to make it so." It was balm to Louis' vanity to find such
loyalty to his person. He beamed on the Captain,
thanked him for his devotion and — failed to give him
the order. Cinq Mars ignored tliis significant omission.
He swaggered about the Court explaining loudly what
he would do when the Cardinal was no longer in the
way. Still Louis made no sign and Marie de Gonzaga
wrote to her lover from Paris : " Your plans are as well
known here as that the Seine flows under the Pont
Neuf."

Not being either deaf nor half-witted, Richelieu knew
that there was mischief afoot but could not learn the
actual details. He could only bide liis time and give Cinq
Mars enough rope to hang himself with. The young

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 227

cockerel seemed in a fair way to do it. His conceit was
limitless, and without the salutary restraint formerly
exercised by the Cardinal, he was slowly but surely
antagonizing Louis himself. He had already won the
cordial detestation of the other courtiers, and it was at
this time that the Duke d'Enghien wrote to his father,
the Duke de Conde : " Monsieur le Grand is going
from bad to worse and even the King is beginning to
tire of him."

This was the picture at Court during the autumn and
winter of 1641. In Brussels Marie was working with
the skill of long experience and the web of intrigue was
spreading. A valuable recruit to the band of plotters
was the hunchback Count de Fontrailles. Richelieu had
once made a cruelly sarcastic comment on his deformity
and Fontrailles hated him with a bitterness made formid-
able by an unusually keen brain.

In January Fontrailles made liis way to Spain, dis-
guised as a monk, with letters of introduction from Marie
de Chevreuse. He discussed the plot with King Philip
and came back in triumph with a formal treaty of
alliance. In it Spain promised to support with money
and troops Gaston's attempt to seize the throne. In
exchange, all territories won from Spain in the war
were to be returned. On behalf of the plotters
this treaty was signed by Cinq Mars and Gaston
himself.

One of the few who was in the secret was the Marquis
de Thou, son of the great historian. In spite of the fact
that he was an intimate friend of Cinq Mars, de Thou
was a serious-minded youth and an ardent patriot. His
studies in political science had convinced him that the
absolute power of Richelieu was a menace to the State.
On those grounds he was in favour of liis overthrow.

228 MARIE DE ROHAN

but deprecated violence, and was strongly opposed to
the interv^ention of a foreign power.

De Thou denounced the treaty with Spain as black
treason and begged Cinq Mars to withdraw from the
whole affair. He even threatened to warn the authorities,
but Cinq Mars laughed at him. He knew that his friend
would never betray liim. Another reason for silence
was the fact that de Thou had at one time been the
ardent admirer, perhaps the lover, of Marie de Chevreuse.

The plans of the conspirators were almost complete.
Zero hour was at hand and still, marvellous to relate,
Richelieu was in the dark. He was perfectly aware, of
course, that a plot was being hatched. He even knew the
names of many involved, but he had no evidence and
feared to strike before the time was ripe.

For years the Minister had been subjecting his frail
body to a terrific strain. Day in and day out, year in and
year out, he had laboured indefatigably with never more
than three hours' sleep a night. Racking headaches and
recurrent internal abcesses had added to the nervous
strain. Now, at this crisis in his career, his system gave
way. Virulent boils broke out all over liis body. His
whole right side was a flaming mass of agony and his
arm was so ulcerated that he could not hold a pen.

Richelieu was at Narbonne, when tliis last affliction
overtook him, and that insignificant town automatically
became the temporary capital of France. Helpless and
in agony as he was, liis indomitable will rose superior
to bodily weakness. A regiment of secretaries wTote
at liis dictation, a battalion of orderlies carried liis
commands all over the country. From his bed the
Cardinal governed France, manipulated his armies and
carried on diplomatic relations with the Courts of
Europe. He even interviewed liis secret agents and

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS I29

Spurred them on to greater efforts. There was mischief
afoot. Let them see to it that he was not taken unawares.
Every breath was torture, every movement a separate
agony, but Richelieu carried on. At St. Germains, the
King weeded his garden and made candy.

Scenario writers stress the dramatic value of suspense.
Richelieu's career, judged from that angle, was one long
melodrama. For a few days the fate of France hung
trembhng in the balance. If the conspirators had struck
then, their chances of success were fifty to one. Cinq
Mars and Fontrailles were even discussing a private plan
of their own to assassinate the Cardinal while he was
helpless. While they plotted, their opportunity slipped
away.

From Spain arrived a barefoot monk, his habit grey
with the dust of the long road. He was given audience
with the Cardinal and produced from under his robe a
paper which changed the whole aspect of affairs.

Fontrailles, disguised as a monk, had brought the
treaty from Spain. One of Richelieu's agents, also dis-
guised as a monk, had just brought his master a facsimile.
How he got it remains a mystery, but in all probability
the credit, or the blame, belongs to some underling in
the Spanish Foreign Office who was in French pay.

On May 3 Richelieu had made his will and prepared
for death. That precious, dangerous bit of paper gave
him a new lease on life. Once more his enemies were
delivered into his hands, and France was saved from
disaster.

He sent the treaty to Louis without comment and
then acted with characteristic swiftness. The Duke de
Bouillon had just been given a high command in the
army in Italy. Messengers were sent to arrest him, and
at the same time Cinq Mars and de Thou were seized.

230 MARIE DE ROHAN

Fontrailles, warned by some sixth sense, had already
fled to Brussels. Before going he wrote to Cinq Mars :
" You are a fine figure of a man and even if you were
shorter by a head, you would still be tall. As for me,
who am already very short, nothing could be taken
from me without causing me the greatest inconvenience,
and making me cut the poorest figure in the world. You
will be good enough, if you please, to allow me to get
out of the way of edged tools."

The witty hunchback " ran away and lived to fight
another day." Cinq Mars, overestimating his popularity
w4th the King, stayed and was caught. To Louis the
proof of his favourite's treachery was both a shock and
a relief. The folly and insolence of the Equerry had done
much to kill the infatuation that his physical charms had
inspired. For some time the gloomy King had felt
resentful of the cavalier treatment he received, but did
not know how to break away from his former favourite.
The damning document sent by Richeheu solved the
problem. When it was handed to him, he was making
some sugary mess in the kitchen. Holding up the burnt
saucepan he said dramatically : " His soul is as black
as this pot."

Galvanized into new life by the joyous prospect of
crushing the conspirators, Richelieu set out for Aries,
where he was to meet the King. Louis was once again
suffering from a severe attack of enteric and had himself
carried, bed and all, into the room where the Cardinal
awaited him. It was an emotional meeting. Louis wept
copiously, apologized for his past disloyalty and vowed
that he " loved him more than ever and that they had
been too long together ever to be parted."

Richelieu accepted his protestations complacently and
tactfully ignored the fact that Louis had been within an

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 23I

ace of ordering his assassination. He contented himself
with demanding — and getting — a signed testimony from
His Majesty as to his knowledge of the plot. Louis con-
fessed in writing that he had listened freely to Cinq Mars
tirades against the Cardinal but stated that he had done
so with the object of learning the conspirators' plans.
Having thus exhibited his royal self in the unedifying
role of a spy on one of his own subjects, Louis created
Richelieu Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom and went
to Paris, leaving the Minister to cope with the situation.

With liis bed loaded on to a barge, RicheUeu floated
down the river to Lyons. Behind him was towed a small
boat containing Cinq Mars, de Thou and their guards.
Then came the pitiful travesty of justice. Bouillon, whose
guilt was beyond all doubt, was given a free pardon for
this and all past treasonous acts in exchange for his
fortress of Sedan.

Gaston, the nucleus of the whole plot and the one who
stood to gain most by it, ran true to form and betrayed
all his associates. The letter to Richelieu in which
he offered to turn King's evidence is a masterpiece of
slimy treachery. " That ungrateful Monsieur le Grand I "
he exclaims, with hands uplifted in holy horror. " How
guilty he is, who was under such obligations to you. I
have always been on my guard against him and his
intrigues. You, my cousin, have all my respect and
friendship."

Gaston was too overwhelmed by the consciousness of
his own rectitude to explain how his signature came to
be on the treaty. Evidently his guard had slipped for
the moment. The respect and friendship he professed
for Richelieu was not reciprocated and this time, since
he was no longer heir-apparent, he could be dealt with
more harshly. Stripped of all his powers and appanages.

1^2 MARIE DE ROHAN

he was allowed to retire to Blois as a private individual
on a pension. On the margin of the decree is a note in
Richelieu's writing : " Monsieur will have a pension of
12,000 crowns a month, the same sum that the King of
Spain would have given him." Only on Cinq Mars and
de Thou did the hand of justice fall heavily.

On June 12 the two lads were condemned to death
and the sentence was carried out the same day. Driving
to the place of execution they chatted cheerfully and drew
lots for the privilege of dying first. On the scaffold they
embraced with a gay cry of " Au revoir " and met
death with smiUng sang-froid. Of Cinq Mars, as of
Charles I, it might be said that " Nothing in his life
became liim like the leaving it."

In Paris Louis waited for the news with gloomy satis-
faction. One of the *' parlour tricks " with which Cinq
Mars had amused his morbid master was the imitation
of dying faces. As the hands of the clock pointed to
the hour set for the execution, Louis said sourly : " I
wonder what kind of face Monsieur le Grand is pulling
now."

Richelieu had pushed on the prosecution of Cinq
Mars with an energy quickened by personal animosity.
He wrote in his diary, " The infernal demon intended to
murder me in my bed." When the handsome young head
rolled from the block he felt a glow of satisfaction. Added
to tliis was the incalculable relief of knowing that this
last and greatest danger to the State had been averted.
France had been spared having Gaston as its King, and
Spain had been cheated of an easy victory. With a mind
at rest the Cardinal could now set his affairs in order
and prepare to lay down liis work.

From Lyons Richelieu set out on his last journey to
Paris and afforded to the people he had held in thrall

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 233

an unforgettable spectacle. Along the road came strings
of baggage horses, wains piled high with his household
goods, a hundred or so gentlemen-in-waiting, secretaries
and other members of liis vast entourage. Then came a
troop of his private guards in magnificent liveries. Last
of aU appeared a vast flat wagon on which a small room
had been built. In a huge four-poster bed, hung with
scarlet velvet and priceless embroideries, lay the great
man himself, frail and fiery against the sombre hangings.
Beside him, at a small table, sat a secretary, busily
writing from dictation.

So, dying but indomitable, the great Cardinal passed
through France. The populace who lined the roads
dimly sensed his essential greatness and paid him the
tribute of spontaneous acclaim. To many he had been
only a name, associated with crushing taxes, military
conscription and petty tyranny. Now they saw liim in
the flesh and marvelled. No one could forget that pale
face ravaged by suffering but bearing the seal of power
in every line, those keen eyes and the arrogant, masterful
mouth.

Slowly he passed by, the drivers picking their way
carefully so that the tortured body should not be jarred.
When the cavalcade reached a city, walls would be torn
down if the gates were too narrow to admit the vast
equipage. Windows would be widened and incHned
planes built so that he need not be carried upstairs.
Wherever possible the travelling-room would be placed
on a barge and carried by water.

There was something epic in that last triumphal
progress. Richelieu had scattered his enemies, vindicated
his policy, established liis supremacy. Now he was
returning to render an account of his stewardship and
lay his weary bones to rest.

234 MARIE DE ROHAN

Eager to show liis gratitude to the man whose
unsleeping vigilance had saved his crown, Louis came
as far as Fontainebleau to meet liim. Together they
entered Paris in state, reigning priest and puppet king.
Never again would Louis try to assert liimself.
Richelieu had conquered and would be supreme until
the end.

Once back at the Palais Cardinal, he devoted himself
to consolidating his life work and arranging for the
continuance of his policies. Louis was with him every
day, receiving liis instructions. A third person at these
conferences was Mazarin, now the Cardinal's right-hand
man. Together they made plans for the future and
Richelieu appointed men to do the work he had accom-
phshed single-handed. At last only tliree important
things were left to be done. Richelieu felt that Gaston
was an ever-present danger and wanted to leave liim
powerless to upset the dynasty. He induced Louis to
issue a formal decree excluding Gaston from ever holding
a position of authority in the kingdom.

Secondly, he urged the King to appoint the young
Duke d'Engliien to the supreme command of the army.
Louis demurred, pointed out that Enghien was barely
of age and suggested more mature generals. Richelieu
insisted and finally won the King's grudging consent.
Lastly the Cardinal begged Louis to accept Alazarin
as his chief adviser. The young secretary had worked
closely with his master for years, knew liis wishes and
understood his methods. Louis agreed and Richelieu
was ready to die in the assurance that he had arranged for
all possible contingencies.

Anne came in those last days, weeping a little and ready
to be friendly. After their long enmity. Cardinal and
Queen were reconciled and the slate was washed clean

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 235

by her facile tears. Last of all came his confessor to
administer the rites of the Church. " Do you forgive
your enemies ? " he asked. " I have had no enemies
save those of the State," retorted Richelieu with a flash
of his old fighting spirit.

On the afternoon of December 3 he felt that death was
at hand. Wishing to spare his niece, Madame de Com-
balet, the sight of his last agony, he courteously asked
her to leave the room. Then, fearless and indomitable,
he died, as he had lived, alone.

When the news was brought to Louis he remarked
calmly : " A great politician has departed." It was his
only tribute to the man whose genius and unswerving
loyalty had kept him on his throne and raised France to
greatness. Beliind that expressionless face was a surge
of relief. He might have said, as he had said at the death
of Concini twenty-five years before : " Now I am really
King."

The influence of Richelieu's dominating personality
was not to be lightly cast off and for a time he continued
to rule from his grave. Two days after his death Louis
issued a proclamation stating that he intended " to
maintain all the arrangements made during the ministry
of the late Cardinal and to carry out all the plans agreed
upon for the conduct of affairs both at home and abroad."
Mazarin was called to the Council of State, d'Enghien
appointed Commander-in-Chief, and all ministers con-
firmed in their posts. Louis dared not run counter to
the win of the dead man but liis feeling of relief per-
sisted.

It was shared by the whole country. Tongues, long
silent through fear, wagged with unaccustomed freedom,
and the tavern poets amused themselves by writing
ribald epitaphs on the great departed.

236 MARIE DE ROHAN

" Kind Richelieu's body here doth He
Who never hurt a single fly,
A very just and peaceful fellow.
As for his soul — if God no better
Forgives, than he forgave his debtor —
I rather fear he's gone to Hell-o."

Madame de Motteville's comments reflect the opinion
of the better element at Court : " Envy was the sole
cause of public hatred because in truth he did not deserve
it. In spite of his defects and the Queen's justifiable
dislike, it must be said of him that he was the greatest
man of our time and past ages had none who could
surpass him. He had the principles of all illustrious
tyrants. He ruled his designs, his thoughts, liis resolu-
tions for reasons of State and the public good, which he
considered only in so far as it enhanced the authority
of the King."

Others were less balanced and moderate. To the
nobles he had been a scourge, a flail, an unmitigated
oppression. Ignoring their ancient privileges and
trampling on the polite convention that a man of noble
birth was automatically immune from punishment, he
had struck ruthlessly at the strongholds of aristocracy and
spattered the blue blood of France all over the landscape.
Four Dukes, five Counts, a Marshal of France and the
Royal Equerry had perished on the scaffold. Soissons
was dead, Gaston in disgrace ; among those who were in
prison or exiled were the Dukes de Guise, de Vendome
and d'Epernon, MarsiUac, Vitry, Bassompierre, Chateau-
neuf, de Jars and many another. Even women had felt
the weight of his vengeance. Marie de Medici had died
during the summer, a destitute exile ; the Princess de
Conti had died in banishment ; Marie de Chevreuse, her

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 237

estates confiscated, was in exile ; Marion de Lorne had
been driven from France for her connection with Cinq
Mars, and Marie de Hautefort had been sent from Court
in disgrace.

With the death of Richeheu all these victims of his
absolutism saw their troubles at an end. Drawn to the
border as by a magnet, exiles waited on all frontiers for
permission to return. In a dozen prisons men who,
through weary years, had cultivated the virtue of patient
resignation became restless and chafed at their confine-
ment. Freedom was in the air and a better day was
dawning.

Louis was lonely. For years Richeheu had kept him
isolated, cut off from normal friendly contacts. Gradu-
ally the King realized that there were any number of
charming people, friends of former days, wandering
about Europe or rotting behind stone walls. They were
the victims of RicheUeu's ruthless policy and now
Richelieu was dead.

Prison doors were opened, barriers raised, pardons
scattered abroad. Back to Court streamed the nobles,
exulting in their reinstatement, seething with revived
ambition. They were welcomed by a prematurely aged
King who seemed pathetically eager to be friendly. At
his side they found a tall, graceful man, with ingratiating
manners and a charming smile. It was Mazarin, now the
adviser and intimate confidant of the King.

The Italian was in his element. For years he had been
at the beck and call of Richelieu, his subtle intelligence
pressed into service by a greater man than himself. Now
he was tasting the sweets of power for himself and
reaping the reward for years of patient preparation. He
had watched his master's dealings with the nobles and
thought his policy unwise. Remembering the old fable

238 MARIE DE ROHAN

of the sun and the wind, Mazarin imagined that kindness
would win what harsliness had lost. Thus nobles who
had been quelled and crushed by the masterful Richelieu
found themselves flattered, caressed, cajoled by liis
successor. They expanded under the treatment and
applauded the acumen of a man who could appreciate
their good qualities.

Louis responded to the same deft treatment. Working
with a man who was all suave deference, he rejoiced in
the blissful delusion that he was governing his kingdom
all by liimself. He became mellow, reasonable, almost
genial. Past offences were forgotten, pardons granted,
concessions made. Even Gaston, who a few short
months before had been formally excluded from holding
any office, was made Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom.
Only two people were not included in the general love-
feast, only two remained beyond the pale. They were the
Sieur de Chateauneuf and Marie de Chevreuse.

CHAPTER XV

MARIE was still in Brussels, contemplating with
amused disgust the failure of her latest effort
to overthrow the Cardinal. Now he was
dead and the long duel was over. To some extent life
had lost its zest with the passing away of her pet enemy.
She was only marking time until she could return to
France and her Queen. Fortunately for her peace of
mind, she did not know that her last intrigue had cost
her what she prized most in life, the friendship of Anne
of Austria.

The cabal of 1 641-2 had not been, like its predecessors,
a concerted effort with one object in view. It was a
confused, liit-or-miss affair with too many leaders, too
many motives, too little co-ordination. Marie de
Chevreuse, Cinq Mars, French exiles and English royalists
had a common desire to get rid of Richelieu. But only
one group of the conspirators wished to put Gaston on
the throne.

In one of the state papers relative to the Cinq Mars
trial it was said that " Monsieur le Grand was urged on
to his evil designs by the Queen-Mother, Madame de
Chevreuse and the Queen of France." This is an absurd
statement, and directly at variance with the facts. Anne
would have been delighted to see RicheUeu overthrown,
but she had no object in advancing the claims of Gaston.
Quite the contrary. As mother of the heir-apparent, she
was all in favour of leaving things severely alone. Louis
might die at any moment and she would then be Queen-

239

240 MARIE DE ROHAN

Regent, reigning for her little son. By conspiracy she
had notliing to gain and everything to lose.

Stupid in many ways, Anne was shrewd enough to
see on wliich side her bread was buttered, and Mazarin
was always at her elbow to prompt her with sapient
advice.

Since the birth of her sons, her conduct had been
exemplary. She had showered smiles on Richelieu,
treated her husband with docile respect and been a model
of matronly discretion. It had been most disconcerting
to have a conspiracy blow up in her very face, and the
thought of being associated with it in any way terrified her.

Anxious to keep her own skirts clear of suspicion,
Anne went to Louis and loudly denounced the intriguers.
In particular, she criticized her friend, Marie de Chev-
reuse. She told Louis that she had " never before realized
her true character," and added virtuously, "she never
wished to see such a woman again." Louis had his
doubts of her sincerity but merely grunted non-commit-
tally. He was so amiable these days that even his wife
shared in the general benison.

The immediate result of his tolerant attitude was a
rise in the Queen's stock. As the mother of the future
King, she became a person of importance, one worth
cultivation. With an eye to the main chance, the courtiers
surrounded her with flattering homage. Guided by
Mazarin, Anne responded with gracious charm, and took
particular pains to win those who might be useful to
her in the future. Her precarious career of intrigue and
illicit romance was forgotten and a tactful veil drawn
over her dubious past. Her future at least was immacu-
late.

For four months universal amity continued. During
that time the Court was gayer than it had been for years.

Louis XIII

l^Face page 240

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 24I

The menacing shadow of the Cardinal had been Ufted
and society rejoiced in the sun of royal favour. Great
mansions, long closed because their owners were exiled
or in disgrace, were flung open, and life was a round of
gaiety. The King and Queen had left the gloomy,
unsanitary old Louvre and were installed in Richelieu's
magnificent palace, now known as the Palais Royal.
Gorgeous in silks and laces, gay with jewels and fluttering
ribbons, gallants and ladies strolled through the broad
corridors or gathered in the gilded salons. Light-
hearted laughter rang through rooms where once the
Cardinal's frown had commanded awed silence. Louis
pottered about happily and transacted his business with
the minimum of trouble. With such an assistant as
Mazarin, kingship was a sinecure and he found liimself
enjoying life for the first time in many a weary year. It
was a delightful interlude, too good to last.

April came, the loveliest season of the year in Paris
but always a dangerous time for the King. He suc-
cumbed to yet another attack of enteric, and it was to
be his last. He was at St. Germains when he fell ill and
took to his bed there, never to leave it. Any slim
chance of recovery he might have had was soon destroyed
by liis physicians. Always with the best intentions they
worked their will on his feeble body, alternately filling it
with pestilential drugs and emptying it with powerful
purges. In the intervals they bled him, thus robbing
him of what little vitality had survived their drastic
methods.

With stubborn tenacity Louis clung to life for six
weeks, but his new-found amiability soon faded under
the treatment. The old sullen rancour returned to dictate
all his last actions. All his life had been embittered by
intrigue and conspiracy. On his deathbed he endeavoured

242 MARIE DE ROHAN

to protect France from any further trouble of this
nature.

Towards his wife he cherished a deep and unalterable
dislike. She had conspired against France, been unfaith-
ful to her marriage vows and plotted his death. In his
last hours he attempted to shut her out from any
authority in the Kingdom. Laboriously he drew up
plans for a Council of Regency, so constituted that
she would be a mere figure-head.

That done, he made his will and, in doing it, showed
all Ills old unforgiving maUce. This curious document
is interesting as proof of the importance of Marie de
Chevreuse in the eyes of those unfortunate enough to
feel her opposition. It reads, in part :

"... Inasmuch as, for grave reasons. We have been
obliged to deprive the Sieur de Chateauneuf of the office
of Keeper of the Seals, and to confine him in the Citadel
of Angouleme, We will and declare that the said Sieur
de Chateauneuf shall remain in the same state until after
peace is declared, with the proviso that he shall not
be liberated except with the order of the Dame Regent
and Council . . . and as it is Our design to provide
against aU the subjects who may in any way disturb
the judicious arrangements We have made to preserve
the repose and tranquillity of the State, the knowledge
We possess of the rebellious conduct of Madame de
Chevreuse ... of the artifices she has used to excite
dissension in Our realm . . . causes Us to deem it
proper to forbid her, as We do forbid her, the entrance
to Our kingdom during the War, and thereafter only
with the orders of the Dame Regent and Council with
the proviso that she shall neither reside nor remain in
any place near the Court or the Dame Queen."

Louis was very weak when this astounding document

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 243

was brought to him to be signed. The sight of it gave
him an access of energy. Pointing a trembling finger
at the passage referring to Marie, he croaked : " She's
the devil, the very devil." In the next room Chevreuse
heard this flattering reference to his wife. It was a bad
omen for the family prospects but the Duke was not the
man to meet trouble half-way. The King would soon
be dead and no one knew what might happen after that.
In the meantime, he only wished that His Majesty would
not be " such an unconscionably long time in dying."

The Duke's feelings were shared by the entire Court.
For days and weeks they had hung about the hunting
lodge at St. Germains, waiting for the end. The humble
room where the King lay dying was far too small for
the crowd of physicians, attendants and gentlemen-in-
waiting. The overflow filled the anteroom, lounged in
the corridors or whiled away the time playing cards
in obscure corners. In the courtyard coaches stood
ready for the drive to Paris and a mob of lackeys quar-
relled and fidgeted as they waited for their masters.
Several times before Louis had been at death's door and
had miraculously recovered. Of all that throng of
sycophants not one would risk leaving, lest the King
should recover and notice his absence.

The strain of waiting was hardest of all on Anne.
Tliroughout her husband's iUness she fluttered about his
bedside, weeping and playing the part of a devoted wife.
There was a Regency at stake. Repeatedly she assured
Louis of her love for him and her innocence of any
intrigues in the past. He remained stubbornly uncon-
vinced and continued to accuse her of wanting to kill
him so that she could marry Gaston. In vain she burst
into floods of dramatic tears. He would only sneer and
wave her aside.

244 MARIE DE ROHAN

Towards the end, Louis sank into a coma, but there
was one last flicker of life. Sitting up in bed one day, he
pointed to the opposite wall. *' Look," he exclaimed, in
great excitement, " do you not see Monsieur le Due
giving battle to the Spaniards ? Lord God, how he is
trouncing them ! I was right to give him the command
of my armies though they tried to prevent me." To the
last Louis was claiming credit that belonged to a greater
man. The Duke he referred to was Enghien, who had
been appointed at Richelieu's dying request.

The King appears to have had some sort of clairvoyant
vision. Ten days later the young general won a decisive
victory at Rocroi, where he destroyed the flower of the
Spanish army. Louis did not live to hear the news. For
years he had watched his armies struggle with mono-
tonous lack of success. With his usual luck he died just
before the greatest victory of the war.

No one noticed the exact moment when he breathed
his last. The watchers were in a stupor from sheer
boredom. Then the word went out that Louis the
Chaste was no more. " The King is dead. Long live
the King." In a moment the Palace was in a turmoil,
courtiers jostling each other in the doorways, shouting
wildly for their horses and coaches. At the Palais Royal
was a little boy who was now Louis XIV. Here was only
a corpse. Fame and fortune waited the first man to make
himself agreeable to the new King. " To Paris, Jacques,
and spare not the horses."

The road to the city was black with swaying coaches
and galloping horsemen. The courtyard was empty
and, in that dim room, lit only by a few guttering candles,
Louis XIII lay alone, a sardonic smile on his face.

Anne too had gone. With a sigh of relief, perhaps the
first sincere sigh in weeks, she left the room without

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 245

a backward glance and took the road to Paris. Later
in the evening a Lieutenant of the Guard and a few
troopers entered to keep the death watch. Despised in
Hfe, Louis was neglected in death. It only remained for
some scribbler to sum up his inglorious career in an
epigram :

" The King was a valet to a priest
And played his part without disaster.
He'd all the virtues of a man,
But never one that makes a master."

At St. Germains darkness gathered around the old
building and a deathly stillness filled the deserted rooms.
At the Palais Royal all was clamour and light. Hundreds
of candles flashed from the walls and were reflected in
the gilded mirrors. The rooms were filled with a
chattering mob of courtiers and every moment more
arrived, still breathless from their wild race from St.
Germains.

In the centre of the babbling throng was the baby
King, wakened from sleep to receive the homage of the
nobles. Yawning dismally, he wondered what it was
aU about, while liis temporary guardian, the Duke de
Beaufort, swaggered about and did the honours. Anne
entered accompanied by Mazarin, and at once found
herself the cynosure of aU eyes. The Court pressed
forward to kiss her hand, to express their homage, to
crave her favour. It was a glorious moment, but Anne
was a desperately weary woman. The endless vigil and
the long drive had exhausted her, and she begged to be
left alone.

At once Beaufort took command of the situation and
peremptorily ordered everyone out of the room. The
clamour broke out anew. By what right did he give

246 MARIE DE ROHAN

commands ? Who gave him authority over his betters ?
etc., etc. Hands flew to sword-tiilts, voices grew shrill,
a crisis was imminent. Finally Mazarin quelled the
rising storm and cleared the room. Last of all went
Beaufort, strutting hke a turkey cock. The Regency of
Anne had begun, and that petty scene was both a symptom
and a symbol of the troubles ahead.

Only a prophet — or a Richelieu — could have foreseen
that trouble. To the Court and the country as a whole
the future seemed cloudless. Ruthless Cardinal and
gloomy King had passed away. In their place was a
beautiful Queen, gracious and smiling. A bonny little
King succeeded to the throne with a younger brother
as insurance against rival claimants. France felt that a
golden age was beginning.

Then, like a happy omen, came the news of the
victory of Rocroi. Paris went made with joy, and Anne
drove through the city with her little sons to Notre
Dame where a solemn Te Deum was sung. That same
afternoon she appeared before the Parliament of Paris,
accompanied by the Duke de Chevreuse, who, as Grand
Chamberlain of France, bore the infant King to his first
//"/ de Justice. Lovely in her regal robes, Anne stood
smiling while the loyal legislators paid homage to their
little sovereign. Then, still smiling, she heard them
unanimously appoint her Queen-Regent " with full,
entire and absolute authority."

Louis would have turned in liis grave but the unfor-
tunate man had no grave to turn in. As King, husband
and pseudo-father, liis life had been a dismal fiasco. In
death he was ignored and at liis own funeral he was an
also-ran — a nonentity. While he was lying in state some
diligent official discovered that Henry IV had not yet
been formally interred. Louis XIII was obliged to

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 247

wait meekly until his father's tomb was completed.
Then the two Kings were buried in due order of pre-
cedence.

The same pathetic futility dogged Louis' dying eflForts.
The Council of Regency, so carefully designed to limit
Anne's power, had been set aside within a week. In his
will, he had solemnly doomed Marie de Chevreuse to
perpetual banishment from Court. One month later she
returned in triumph and took her accustomed place at
the Queen's side.

A month is a short time, but to Marie it seemed endless.
For five years she had wandered about Europe, a home-
less exile, or had endured the boredom of existence in
the Netherlands. " In Paris one lives, elsewhere one
merely vegetates." The atmosphere of Courts was the
very breath of her aristocratic little nostrils. With
every fibre of her being she longed for the spice of
scandal, the rapier-play of courtly wit, the thrill of polite
intrigue. To a lesser degree, she wanted to be re-united
with her children and to establish the fallen fortunes of
her family on a sure foundation.

As soon as the welcome tidings of the King's death
reached her, she hastily packed up her possessions and
made ready for the return to France. Louis had for-
bidden it, but what of it ? PoufF ! Anne was now the
Queen. Anne, the sharer in many a perilous escapade,
the devoted friend of years. The commands of the dead
man were of no importance.

Within a a few days Marie's preparations were made,
and she only waited for the official permission to return.
Unaccountably, it did not come. Day after day passed
but no word reached her from the Queen. Hurt and
bewildered by the delay, Marie wrote to her friends at
Court. Why was she not recalled ? Why the long silence ?

248 MARIE DE ROHAN

What in the name of a thousand minutely-described
petits chiens was happening ?

In her exile, Marie had lost touch with the intricate
cross-currents that were turning the Court into a poli-
tical maelstrom. Anne was the bewildered centre of a
swirling eddy of parties and individuals, each pulling
for himself, each pulling a different way. She was
besieged by sycophants, deafened with petitions, smoth-
ered with fawning adulation.

Parties were formed with great nobles as their rallying
point. A favour granted to one meant the enmity of the
other. Each fought savagely for prestige and the Court
was split into a dozen warring factions. Immediately
after the King's death, Anne had appointed ]Ma2arin
her Minister of State. It was a clever move. By it, she
avoided arousing the jealousy of any particular party and
at the same time won for herself the support of the astute
Italian. Together they picked their way through the
intricate maze, played one party off against the other and
preserved their equilibrium.

The new favourite was not slow to profit by liis
position. A master of subtle technique, he applied
himself with consummate skill to the conquest of his
Queen. By relieving her of all routine duties, he made
sovereignty a pleasant task, but he was careful not to
assume too much authority. He was always at her side
to counsel or assist but it was with an engaging air of
deference. When any difficult problem arose he was
ready with a diplomatic solution, and he supplied her
with phrases that were tactfully non-committal.

Even while he dominated her, he was fulsome in his
praise of her wisdom, ecstatic in his admiration of her
regal qualities. It is not surprising that he soon had
Anne completely under his spell. Beneath his magnetic

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 249

charm and ingratiating manner, Mazarin had an ambition
as soaring as that of Richelieu. He wanted power and
reahzed that it could be gained most surely through the
Queen. Where Richelieu had treated her with tyrannous
harshness, Mazarin flattered and adored. Anne expanded
under the new treatment like a flower in the sun. Rather
a full-blown blossom, perhaps, but Mazarin was not
disposed to be critical. The short cut to power was by
way of the royal bed and his foot was already on the first
step leading to that scented nest.

Throughout his career he kept a private diary written
in three languages and it reveals his intentions with
illuminating frankness. French and Italian were used
for political purposes, but the progress of his amorous
campaign was noted in Spanish.

Mazarin was not without rivals. There were Com-
minges, for instance, the handsome Captain of the
Guard, and the debonair Duke de Beaufort, with his
ardent blue eyes and the sunny curls tumbling about
his shoulders. The Italian realized that Anne was sus-
ceptible to masculine beauty and played up accordingly.
He spent hours curling and arranging his luxuriant
chestnut hair. He invented special cosmetics for pre-
serving his silken skin and went about fragrant with
all the perfumes of Araby.

Watching his steady advance in the Queen's favour,
the nobles decided that the suave Italian was a man to
cultivate. His new honours did not appear to have
turned his head. He was always most servile and licked
each aristocratic boot with a beautiful impartiality.
Whenever he was asked to use his influence with the
Queen, he professed himself " Monseigneur's humble,
obedient servant to command " and seemed eager to
ingratiate himself. So subtly did he worm his way into

250 MARIE DE ROHAN

power that he was firmly estabUshed before the nobles
had begun to take him seriously.

To quote de Retz : ** He played his cards so well
that he had his foot on everybody's head while everyone
thought he was still standing beside liim. . . . France
saw a humble and benignant being sitting on the steps
of the throne from which the harsh and redoubtable
Richelieu had blasted rather than governed men."

While Mazarin had been steadily cHmbing the ladder
of ambition, the nobles had wasted their time in bickering
and had finally split into two main factions. One was
headed by Beaufort, son of the Duke de Vendome ; the
other was grouped around the immensely powerful house
of Bourbon-Conde. Old Conde himself, while one of the
wealthiest men in France, had been thoroughly cowed
by Richelieu and was a political cipher, crouching over
his money bags. His son however, was famous all over
France as the victorious general of Rocroi. Another
son was the Prince de Conti, a pleasant but negligible
youth. His daughter, Anne Genevieve, was one of the
great beauties of the day, and had recently married the
Duke de Longueville who ranked among the half-dozen
greatest peers of France. The Duchesse de Conde herself
was a Montmorenci, sister of the beheaded Duke, and
the Queen's intimate friend. As a group, therefore,
the Conde faction represented the flower of the haute
noblesse and wielded almost unlimited influence.

Such was the position of affairs at Court while Marie's
return was under discussion. Anne herself admitted
frankly that she did not want her back. She confided to
the Duchesse de Conde that she " had no taste now for
the amusements that had bound them together and feared
lest she might appear changed to her." To another
friend she said that she " knew by her own experience

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 25I

how well able Madame de Chevreuse was to disturb
the peace of the Regency."

Unfortunately for Anne, the " peace of the Regency "
was purely superficial. Feeling between the two factions
was running high and the fate of Marie de Chevreuse
was rapidly becoming a matter of acute interest to the
rival clans. The Conde party were strongly opposed to
her return. Between the House of Bourbon-Conde and
the House of Guise, to which Marie belonged by mar-
riage, there was a feud dating back to the Wars of
Religion. Further, the Condes blamed her for her share
in the conspiracy in wliich Montmorenci had been
involved. Above all, she was the champion of Chateau-
neuf, the depraved creature who had presided over the
commission that condemned the Duke to death. Between
Charlotte de Montmorenci, Duchesse de Conde, and any
friend of Chateauneuf, it was war to the knife.

The Vendome faction, on the other hand, were eager
for the return of the intriguing Duchess. Vendome
himself had been her fellow-conspirator during the late
regime and had found her an able ally. Rochefoucauld
was one of this group, as were the Duke de Guise and
members of her husband's house. As the friend of the
Queen her influence was valuable and her own genius
for intrigue would make her a real asset.

As Rochefoucauld puts it in his memoirs : " The
Court was so divided that the return of Madame de
Chevreuse was being waited for to decide everything.
She was not looked on as a person who would be satisfied
with supporting one side, but as one who would most
certainly destroy whichever side was least connected
with her."

With all tliis plot and counter-plot, it is hardly sur-
prising that a month slipped by before Marie received

252 MARIE DE ROHAN

the summons to return. It was Mazarin himself who
finally persuaded Anne to send for her former favourite.
He, too, felt that the Duchess was the key to the situation
but he intended to win her for liimself. Confident of
his powers to charm such a merry and amorous dame,
he had rosy visions of driving jNIarie and Anne in double
harness. The Duchess would oust Madame Conde from
the Queen's side and at the same time help him to hold
the Vendomes in check. The mutual admiration society
of three would steer the ship of State safely through the
troubled waters and all would be well.

Aglow with his vision, Mazarin advised the Queen
to recall Madame de Chevreuse. She consented reluct-
antly, but resolved that there should be no more intrigues.
If Marie returned, it must be on condition that she
behaved herself, and on the clear understanding that
the old intimacy was a thing of the past. Casting about
for an ambassador who would explain the situation tact-
fully, Anne selected Rochefoucauld. To her surprise
he received her commands with wrathful indignation.
He reminded her of Marie's fidelity to her cause, her
life-long devotion and the misfortunes she had suffered
for her Queen. " I entreated her," he writes, " to
consider of what fickleness she would be thought
capable and of what interpretation would be put on that
fickleness should she prefer Mazarin to Madame de
Chevreuse. The conversation was long and stormy, and
I saw clearly that I had incensed her."

Anne was easily incensed these days and she found
her old friends a trial. They would insist on reminding
her of things that she infinitely preferred to forget, and
presumed on past services to speak to her more bluntly
than she liked. Anne was a truly royal ability to forget
past benefits and chafed under the obligations of

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 253

gratitude. She would gladly have allowed Marie de
Chevreuse to live and die in exile but Mazarin had
over-persuaded her. Now it was too late to recall the
summons.

Rouchefoucauld went on his mission but it was as
a friend of the returning exile. He wanted to warn
her of the Queen's attitude and to prepare her for the
struggle ahead. With liim went another old friend,
IMontagu, the bearer of the fatal little black bag at
Bar-le-duc. The Englishman had a genius for diplomacy,
and had been selected as Mazarin's envoy to the Duchess.
He bore letters welcoming her to France, bespeaking her
friendship and offering to pay her debts.

Early in June Marie received the belated but gracious
summons to return. At once she set out for her beloved
Paris, and her journey resolved itself into a triumphal
progress, with lovers at every milestone. Enthusiastic
friends saw her off from Brussels and the amorous
Antonio Sarmiento accompanied her on the first stage
of the journey. At Peronne Alexandre Campion appeared
and cheered his lady on her way. At Roye she found
Rochefoucauld and the dapper Montagu.

It was a joyous re-union, rich in memories of
past loves and dangers, but the messages and letters
of the two envoys soon cast a gloom over their
gaiety.

Rochefoucauld painted a dismal picture of the state
of affairs at Court and warned his friend, most solemnly,
of the necessity of discretion. He described the political
situation, prepared her for the change in the Queen and
hinted delicately at the ambiguous position of Mazarin
in Anne's esteem. It was unfortunate for Montagu that
he was obliged to follow his fellow-envoy. In spite of
all his tact, Marie was in no mood to receive friendly

254 MARIE DE ROHAN

overtures from the Italian who had taken her place with
the Queen. Montagu did his best, but Mazarin's own
letters spoiled the whole eflFect. They were altogether to
revealing. They crawled and fawned and dripped flattery.
They betrayed the Cardinal's frantic desire to win the
Duchess to his own side and capped the climax by
offering her money to pay her debts.

At this barefaced attempt at bribery Marie flew into
a royal rage. " Who," she demanded in a voice choked
with fury, " is this impudent lackey who dares to offer
money to a Rohan ? The insolent, boot-licking, shmy,
etc., etc." Madame la Duchesse was famed for her
command of language and she poured out all the rich
treasures of her vocabulary in an attempt to express her
feelings. Montagu, aghast at the storm he had raised,
tried to pacify her, but in vain. Marie raged and swore,
vowed vengeance and called on high heaven to witness
that she would not rest until this worm was back in the
gutter whence he had crawled. In despair Montagu
called on Rochefoucauld to reason with the infuriated
lady. Something must be done to quell the riot. It was
altogether too distressing to a diplomat.

From the purely political point of view, Rochefou-
cauld was glad to find that Mazarin had made another
enemy, but he was primarily a true friend to Marie. For
her own sake she must at least feign friendship for the
Queen's new favourite. It was the only path to power
in these degenerate days. Using every argument at his
command he at last persuaded Marie to hide her true
feelings. Subtlety was the only weapon that could avail
her now. Open antagonism to Mazarin meant the
disfavour of the Queen.

After her first outburst, Marie listened quietly to
Rochefoucauld and promised to follow his advice. She

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 255

would be the soul of discretion and give Anne no reason
to regret her recall. As an earnest of her goodlntentions,
she returned a polite answer to Mazarin's letter and
appeared to accept his olive branch. Montagu went on
ahead and Marie continued her journey, but the thrill of
anticipation was gone. The happy intimacy with Anne
was a thing of the past. From now on, it would be a
struggle for favour against a rival who must be placated
because he could not be fought openly.

It was a dreary prospect but Marie was ever ready for
a good fight. She had fought Richelieu for twenty years
and asked no quarter. Now he was dead but another
Cardinal had come to take his place. Mazarin was an
intriguer, but so was she. She would meet him on his
own ground, pit her wits against his and might the best
man win. The fight was on.

At Compiegne Chevreuse appeared, almost incoherent
with relief at regaining liis wife. Now he felt that his
troubles were over and the family fortunes would im-
prove. With him were half the noblesse of France,
come to pay their respects to the most popular woman in
Europe. The centre of a cheering crowd of friends,
Marie entered Paris like a conquering hero. Her five-year
exile was over.

That week the Gazette, the official Court circular,
devoted most of its space to the return of the heroine. In
a pyrotechnic shower of adjectives it described her
triumphal entry into the city, expatiated on her romantic
adventures and presaged a return to the gay days of old.
The account concluded : " But the great retinue of Court
nobles who visit her constantly, and fill her spacious
Palace to overflowing, does not inspire one with such
admiration as the fact that neither the fatigues of her long
journeyings, nor the ills of her rigorous fortune have

256 MARIE DE ROHAN

wrought any change in her natural magnanimity nor,
which is more extraordinary, in her great beauty."

" Age cannot wither, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety."

The astounding woman was now forty-three. The
bewildering beauty was there but it was refined, enriched
by maturity. In place of the old impish mischief there
was wit, not untinged with irony, humour ripened by
experience. Twenty years of incessant intrigue had per-
fected her teclinique and made her a woman of infinite
tact. She was superlatively well equipped for the part she
was to play in the tangled politics of the Fronde. At an
age when many women look back on their active pasts
with a wistful smile, Marie was just entering on a career
compared to which her life up to this time was compara-
tively puerile.

Marie de Chevreuse intrigued as naturally and inevit-
ably as she breathed, but in the past she had plotted reck-
lessly for the sake of a friend. Now the impassioned
devotion to Anne that had been her ruling motive had
cooled. From now on she would work for herself, her
family, her party. No longer swayed by emotion, she
would play the great game of politics as she played chess,
with cool intelligence. She was going into battle with all
her wits about her, charm her weapon and humour her
shield. She began by attacking the Queen's Bishop. She
ended by crying " Check ! " to the Queen.

The enthusiastic chronicler of the Gazette wrote that
Marie had not lost either her magnanimity nor her beauty.
The same could not be said of the Queen. Five years
before, Anne had been a nonentity, ignored by the Court,
hated by the King and cowed into submission by

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 257

Richelieu. Marie had taken into exile with her the picture
of a wistful, helpless creature, the victim of an intolerable
tyranny.

She returned to find a Queen Paramount who knew
her own mind and wanted her own way. The slender
figure had become portly. The mild eyes flashed
imperiously and the once low voice was now raised
in shrill anger at the least hint of opposition. Anne of
Austria was a Hapsburg with the blood of a hundred
tyrants in her veins. She was the Queen and her will
was law.

The fact that she was persecuted by Richelieu and
neglected by her husband had made Anne a martyr in the
eyes of the populace. They pictured her the innocent
victim of unjust suspicion, the saintly pattern of gracious
womanhood. In a very short time Anne shattered this
fond delusion. Both Court and Parliament found that the
apparently mild woman had the obstinacy of an army
mule. As long as they agreed with her, she was gracious-
ness itself. Woe betide the luckless wight who ventured
to disagree. Only Mazarin could reason with her when
her passions were aroused or change her opinion when
her mind was once made up.

Marie de Chevreuse and Anne had parted with tears
and vows of eternal friendship. They met amiably,
coolly, and with a meticulous observance of etiquette.
Anne was nervous beneath her regal manner. She
dreaded a " scene " and wished to combine friendliness
with the correct degree of aloof dignity proper to her
position. Marie, on the contrary, was quite at her ease
and handled the situation with flawless tact. A Rohan
with centuries of fine breeding behind her, she moved
through the Court with effortless grace and greeted Anne
with calm courtesy.

258 MARIE DE ROHAN

In her well-turned plirases there was no hint of undue
familiarity. Tacitly she informed the Queen that she
accepted the new state of affairs and had no intention
of presuming on past favours. With the same nonchalant
charm she met Mazarin and assured him of her friend-
sliip. Then, formalities over, she turned to join her
friends of former days. Marie de Hautefort was there,
recalled even before the King's death. So were the
Chevalier de Jars, still limping, Seguier, whose warning
had saved Anne at Val de Grace, and many another.
Rapturously they greeted Marie and reminisced about
the adventurous past, but Marie was too wise too identify
herself wholly with this group. She shared their feelings
of jealousy and despairing disgust at the new order of
things but dared not show it. If Mazarin were to be
toppled from liis perch on the steps of the throne, it
must be done with care, and she must bring up bigger
artillery.

With all her old shrewdness, Marie considered the
situation, reckoned up the forces at her command and
studied the strength of the enemy. Of the two principal
factions, she tended naturally to that of the Vendomes,
drawn ahke by family association and the bonds of
adventures shared in the past. Inevitably she would
be on that side in any open warfare, but for the moment
she hesitated to declare herself. To do so would invite
the enmity of the Conde clan and that would be disas-
trous. She must first accomplish sometliing that was
very near her heart, the release and reinstatement of
Chateauneuf.

It was ten years since Marie had written : " Though
all the world should neglect you, I will continue to
esteem you so liighly all my life that you shall have every
reason to be content with your fortune." The unfor-

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 259

tunate Keeper of the Seals was still a prisoner in the
fortress of Angouleme, neglected and forgotten by
everyone but the woman he had loved with such disas-
trous results. During her exile, Marie had been powerless
to help him. Her first thought on returning to France
was to restore him to his former estate, and she set to
work without a moment's delay.

Mazarin wanted her friendship. Mazarin could have
it, but he must pay for it. Not in the coin that he had
offered so confidently, but in this trifling matter of
releasing an old friend from unjust imprisonment. Marie
smiled sweetly ; Mazarin wriggled uneasily. Nothing
would please him more than doing this favour for
Madame ; it should be done at once, but — how about
the Duchesse de Conde ? That, Marie inferred, was a
matter of no importance. The poor prisoner could at
least be released and allowed to return to his home after
all these years. No one could object to that.

Vastly relieved, Mazarin leaped at this solution and at
once ordered Chateauneuf to be released. He thought
his troubles were over but he did not yet know Madame
de Chevreuse. He was to know her only too well before
he was through. Her main point gained, Marie called
up the reserves. The Chevalier de Jars limped to the
Cardinal and began interceding for his old comrade.
Why could Chateauneuf not be given some small place
at Court to repay him for all his sufferings ? Again
Mazarin wriggled, hesitated, played for time. He was
desperately anxious to ingratiate himself with Madame
de Chevreuse but dared not arouse the wrath of the
redoubtable Duchesse de Conde.

In an attempt to muzzle de Jars, he gave liim two fine
abbeys and prayed that he had heard the last of him.
De Jars accepted the gift but returned to the attack with

26b MARIE DE ROHAN

unabated zeal. IVIazarin, who would have sold liis hopes
of heaven for a fair price, cash down, could not under-
stand this passionate interest in a man who had notliing
to give. He " saw with vexation that the two fine abbeys
he had given to de Jars did not make him less partial
to his friend from whom he had received nothing."

Back again to plague liim came Marie de Chevreuse,
astonished at his reluctance to grant such a trifling
request. She vowed that she thought it most unfriendly
of liim. Had all his protestations of readiness to serve
her been mere empty phrases ? Must she conclude that
he trembled at the frown of Madame Conde ? At this
Mazarin took fright. The mere hint that he was pro-
Conde would bring the Vendomes out against him in
full force and upset the apple-cart. Marie got her way
and Chateauneuf found himself at Court again. Chan-
cellor of France. It was first blood for Madame de
Chevreuse.

CHAPTER XVI

WITH Chateauneuf back at Court, Marie looked
about for new worlds to conquer. This game
she was playing with Mazarin had its humours.
He wanted her support and angled for it with shameless
eagerness. He even made love to her. Marie listened to
his vows of ardent affection with flattering attention and
stored up liis words in her very excellent memory. Later
she would be able to compare notes with her sister-in-
law, the Princess of Guemene. The artless Cardinal,
confident of his flawless technique, was trying to win
both ladies by his amorous advances. Being very good
friends they derived much amusement from the situa-
tion. Anne failed to see anything humorous about it.
With jealous eyes she watched the philandering of her
handsome Itahan and did not like it at all. Mazarin
found himself treated with chilly scorn and could not
understand his fall from grace.

The Duke de Beaufort, who had been rather left out
in the cold, was again warmed by the royal smile. He
swaggered about with all his old air of assurance, based,
the gossips said, on past favours received and the lively
hope of favours to come. He had been credited with the
honour of fathering Phillippe of Anjou, Anne's younger
son, and certainly he treated the Queen with an easy
familiarity that roused comment.

Anne's revival of kindness encouraged Beaufort to
ask for the office of Lord High Admiral of France.

261

262 MARIE DE ROHAN

Instead, Anne offered to appoint liim Grand Equerry.
Hopeful of getting the Admiralsliip, he refused. Marie
de Chevreuse then picked a psychological moment and
got a pleasant post in the royal household for Alexandre
Campion. Mazarin felt that the reins were sUpping out
of his hands and complained bitterly in his diary of the
Queen's independence. She was giving favours and
making appointments without consulting him, and he
was not making any profit on these transactions. " Her
Majesty ought to apply herself to the winning over of
all hearts to my cause," he wrote. " She should do this
by making me the agent from whose hand they receive
all the favours she grants them."

Flushed by success, Marie and the Vendomes began
to parcel out political plums. Beaufort was to be Admiral;
Vendome, Lord-Lieutenant of Brittany ; Rochefoucauld,
Governor of Havre. Marie talked of buying an island off
the coast of Brittany and establisliing Antonio Sarmiento
there, with Campion in charge. To cement the alliance,
a marriage was arranged between Vendome's younger
son, the Duke de Mercceur, and Marie's daughter,
Charlotte Marie de Lorraine. At this startling line-up,
which would have given the party control of all north-
western France, Anne and Mazarin took alarm.

The Cardinal had promised the applicants liis help in
getting the posts they desired, but he actually advised
Anne to refuse them. He feared that the Conde clan
would take umbrage at such a wholesale grant of
lucrative posts. At the same time he urged Anne to
withhold her consent to the Mercoeur-Chevreuse match.
It was a complicated game that he was playing, so com-
plicated that no one knew whether he was friend or foe.
A peep into the famous diary would have been enlight-
ening.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 265

" It is Madame de Chevreuse who animates them,"
he wrote. '* She studies to strengthen the Vendomes.
She endeavours to gain all the House of Lorraine, has
already got the Duke de Guise and is attempting to win
from me the Duke d'Elboeuf . . . she has a clear per-
ception of everything. She readily divines that it is I
who am acting in secret on the Queen to hinder the
giving of the government of Brittany to Vendome. She
has said so to her father, the Duke de Montbazon and
also to Montagu."

She knew, he knew that she knew, she knew that he
knew that she knew, but the game went merrily on. It
was a battle of wits between two well-matched opponents,
both cool, both wary, both skilled in delicate intrigue.
What the result would have been will never be known.
Into the arena, like an infuriated bull, burst the Duke de
Beaufort, dragging with him a seraglio of silly women.
What had been skilful sword-play between two finished
duellists degenerated into a free-for-all, no holds barred.
When the dust subsided, Mazarin was disclosed perched
on the topmost pinnacle of power. Throughout, he
played a lone hand with his own profit as his objective.
It was his great good fortune that he had no allies to
wreck his cause.

Beaufort was the ardent wooer of the Queen but he
was not the man to limit his attentions to any one
woman. He had laid that golden head on many a scented
pillow, fitted horns to many an aristocratic head. At the
moment the acknowledged queen of his heart was the
young Duchesse de Montbazon. Her romantic elope-
ment from the convent with the elderly Duke had been
but the first in a series of amorous episodes. Soissons,
Montmorenci and a dozen other gallants had enjoyed
her favours. Then had come a perfervid affair with the

264 MARIE DE ROHAN

Duke de Longueville and she had hopes of marrying
him as soon as her aged husband should iiave sliuffled off
this mortal coil. Annoyingly, he lingered and a marriage
was arranged between de Longueville and Anne-Gene-
vieve de Bourbon-Conde. La Montbazon was furious
and tried without success to wreck the marriage. When
she failed, she consoled herself with Beaufort and was
now flaunting her conquest before a Court that found
her almost too generous with her gifts. Her raven hair,
milky skin and thin, passionate mouth wrought havoc
with the hearts of the male contingent. With the
women, she was less popular. Madame de Motteville
describes her in a few dry phrases : " She had ex-
treme beauty with an extreme desire to please . . .
her mind was not as fine as her body . . . her eyes
imperiously demanded love." She evidently got what
she wanted.

The Queen had discarded Beaufort in favour of
Mazarin but she was too feminine to enjoy the speed
with which he found a substitute. She eyed the black-
haired Duchess with chilly disapproval and waited for
a chance to humble her. Madame de Montbazon
obligingly gave her royal rival an excellent oppor-
tunity, and at the same time wrecked all Marie's good
work.

Outwardly, Marie and her step-mother were on the
best of terms but the younger woman cherished a deep-
seated grudge. She was in her twenties, in the prime of
her dark beauty, but she felt herself overshadowed by
her brilliant step-daughter. Marie was one of the most
popular women at Court and had a European fame.
Evidently intrigue rather than beauty was the secret of
success. La Montbazon began to have visions of being
an intriguante, swaying men by her beauty, shaking the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 265

throne to its foundations and being acclaimed as the
champion wire-puller of Europe.

With Beaufort as a nucleus, the Duchess de Mont-
bazon began to gather about her a party which was
known as " The Importants." The name, it may be
remarked, alluded to the importance of these gentry in
their own eyes. They were a mixed bag. Some, like the
hunchback Fontrailles, had brains without character.
Others, like the Count de Montresor, had energy without
brains. Others again, like the Bishop of Beauvais,
** most idiotic of idiots," had neither. There were dainty
gentlemen who lisped in their speech, affected the
extremes of fashion and walked with mincing steps.
There were hotheads like Beaufort, swollen with a sense
of their own worth.

Over this heterogeneous collection, Madame de
Montbazon reigned supreme. The conspiracy into
which they plunged would have sunk into the obUvion
it deserved had it not been for Beaufort's connection
both with it and with the Vendome party. In his fall he
involved others, and his brainless folly wrecked the work
of shrewder minds than his own.

Marie de Chevreuse had returned from exile in June.
During the hot summer the Court intrigued, the ladies
talked scandal and Marie carried on her under-cover
campaign against Mazarin. Early in August, Madame
de Montbazon entertained a number of aristocratic
guests at her hotel in the Rue de Bethizy. After most
of them had gone, she picked up from the floor two
letters in feminine writing. They were evidently
addressed to a man and were more ardent than discreet.
Promptly la Montbazon announced that they were
written by the Duchesse de Longueville to Maurice de
Coligny.

266 MARIE DE ROHAN

This baseless slander was a piece of sheer, unforgiv-
able malice. The Duchesse de Montbazon had never
forgiven her blonde rival for winning the Duke de
Longueville and leaped at this opportunity to blacken her
reputation. The blue-eyed daughter of Conde had never
been touched by the breath of scandal and her chaste
aloofness was a standing reproach to ladies of easier
virtue. The gossips fell on this delicious tit-bit with
squeals of glee. The story of the anonymous biUets-
doux went the rounds of the salons and was bandied
about in the clubs. Sensational as it was, the story
would soon have died a natural death from lack of
evidence. Unfortunately for all concerned, the Duchesse
de Conde took the matter in hand and salhed forth to do
battle for her daughter's fair name. She traced the
scandal to its source and demanded an apology. When
it was refused she went to the Queen. From being a
harmless bit of gossip, the affair assumed the dignity
of a cause celebre and rocked Paris society to its founda-
tions.

In the meantime, Rochefoucauld, with liis cool
intelhgence, had solved the mystery. The letters had
actually been written by Madame de Fouquerolles to the
Marquis de Maulevrier, who had dropped them from his
pocket. Rochefoucauld secured a sample of the Duchesse
de Longueville's writing and proved that there was no
resemblance. He then burned the letters in the Queen's
presence.

Still the Duchesse de Conde was not satisfied. She
demanded a formal, public apology from la Montbazon
and won the Queen over to her point of view. There
were two reasons for Anne's intervention in what was
a purely personal matter. Wliile the Duke d'Enghien
was in command of her armies, she dared not antagonize

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 267

his family. Tiie second reason was less creditable.
Anne was jealous of Madame de Montbazon for her
conquest of Beaufort and welcomed the chance to
humiliate her. The scandal-monger must apologize and
Madame de Chevreuse was called on to carry through
the negotiations. Madame de Motteville gives us an
amusing picture of the scene that evening in the Queen's
private apartments. Mazarin and Marie, still outwardly
the best of friends, sat together at a small table, drafting
the speech of apology. Each word was weighed care-
fully, each phrase was " the subject of a parley." For a
long evening these two subtle brains, each capable of
governing an empire, concentrated on the settlement of
a silly feminine squabble.

Finally the speech was drafted, accepted by the culprit
and delivered in the presence of the Court. Honour
was satisfied but the insolent, mocking manner of the
Duchesse de Montbazon as she deUvered her speech
added fuel to the fire. Feehng ran higher than ever and
the Court split into factions, the women siding with the
slandered Duchess, the men with the mischief-maker.
Even the Duke de Longueville was in the camp of his
wife's enemies. His marriage had been a manage de
convenance, and he was still a slave to the black eyes of
la Montbazon.

An open breach spelt ruin to Marie's plans and she
worked hard for a reconciliation. She even succeeded
by the exercise of her inimitable tact in placating the
Duchesse de Conde. To seal the pace, she gave a formal
collation at Renart's Gardens, on the terrace of the
Tuileries, with the Queen as guest of honour.

The fatal afternoon arrived. Under gay umbrellas
tables were scattered about the terrace, set with dainty
refreshments. All the great ladies of the Court were

268 MARIE DE ROHAN

present, sipping chocolate or fragrant Bohea, toying
with tiny cakes, chattering Hke magpies. Anne arrived,
leaning on the arm of the Duchesse de Conde. At the
same moment the Duchesse de Montbazon appeared
on the scene. She bowed carelessly to the Queen,
ignored the Duchesse de Conde and strolled on into the
gardens.

Anne turned white with anger and accused Marie of
bringing her there to insult her. It was useless to protest
that Madame de Montbazon had not been invited. The
Queen raged on and demanded that " that woman "
withdraw at once from her presence. Marie begged her
step-mother to leave but the cause of all the trouble
stood her ground. She said that she had every right to
enter a pubhc place and refused to be chased away to
please that venomous old Conde woman. Anne took
the dignified course of retiring herself, accompanied by
Madame de Conde.

All Marie's well-meant efforts to patch up a peace had
failed disastrously and the fat was in the fire. The
following day, August 12, Madame de Montbazon was
ordered to retire to her estates at Roclifort and to remain
there at the royal pleasure. At once Beaufort took up
the cudgels in her defence and " The Importants " rallied
around. With startling lack of logic they blamed
Mazarin for the whole affair and declared that he
had sold liimself, body and soul, to the House of
Conde.

Until now " The Importants " had been playing with
the idea of conspiracy. The banishment of Madame de
Montbazon gave them a grievance and brought matters
to a head. With reckless fervour they plunged into
schemes for the assassination of Mazarin. The day
chosen was September 2, and His Eminence was to be

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 269

Stabbed on his way to the Palace. Horses were to be in
readiness to carry the assassins to the border, and all
arrangements were made.

Anne knew that trouble was brewing. She had shared
in enough conspiracies herself to recognize the symp-
toms. On the day of the attempt she warned the Cardinal
to remain within doors and take no risks. Her warning
was unnecessary. Mazarin had not been trained by
Richelieu for nothing. He knew all the conspirators'
plans and acted with unusual decision. While the
assassins were actually waiting for their victim to appear
they were surrounded by the royal guard and arrested.
Beaufort was warned but said arrogantly : " They will
never dare to arrest me," and swaggered into the Palace.
He was actually talking confidentially to the Queen
when Comminges arrested him, by her orders.

Before Beaufort realised what had happened, he found
himself a prisoner in the fortress of Vincennes. There
he remained until his daring escape five years later. So
ended the conspiracy of " The Importants," " invented,"
as de Retz says contemptuously, " by four or five melan-
choly wights who looked as if their brains were of the
shallowest. A cabal got up by people who all died
mad."

Marie has been accused by many writers of being the
moving spirit of " The Importants." Even Campion
wrote : *' I believe that the Duke's (Beaufort) disgust
was prompted not by his own private feelings but by the
persuasions of Madame de Chevreuse and Madame de
Montbazon who had entire power over liim and bore
great hatred for the Cardinal."

The obvious answer to this is the fact that Marie
remained at the Queen's side for two more years, which
would have been impossible if she had been involved in

270 AIARIE DE ROHAN

the plot. An even more convincing answer is found in
the plot itself. She was too wary and intelligent an
intriguante to have any part in such a blundering,
poorly-organized affair. Nevertheless, she suffered in-
directly as a result of the fiasco. The breach between the
factions was widened and Mazarin came boldly out on
the Conde side. Because of their relationsliip to Beau-
fort, Vendome and Mercceur were banished from Court.
Chateauneuf was made a scape-goat and dismissed from
office though there was no evidence that he had been a
member of the cabal. Worst of all, the threat against
Mazarin's life did what all his skilful courtship had
failed to do. It threw Anne into his waiting arms.

In November a studiously non-committal notice
appeared in the Gazette : " The Queen in full Council
made it plain that, considering the indisposition of
Cardinal Mazarin, and considering that he is forced to
cross the whole length of the great garden of the Palais
Royal, and considering that some new business is con-
stantly presenting itself to him and demanding to be
communicated to the Queen, the Queen deems it appro-
priate to give the Cardinal an apartment in the Palais
Royal, so that she may confer with him more con-
veniently concerning her business."

So far, so good. The Gazette did not explain the
nature of the business which required a private passage
to be built connecting the Cardinal's apartments with
those of the Queen. Nor did it comment on the exceed-
ing devotion of the said Cardinal to the said business, a
devotion so great that he must needs confer with the
Queen in the small hours of the morning. Court and
populace were less tactful. They commented loudly
and incessantly, to the great detriment of Anne's
reputation.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 27I

Until now the Queen had been regarded by her
subjects as a model of matronly discretion and virtue,
while Mazarin had been tolerated. The thinly-veiled
announcement of their intimate relations brought about
a sharp reaction. Anne's popularity waned and Mazarin
was looked upon as a monster who had martyred the
beloved Beaufort, and a tyrant whose taxes oppressed
the poor. Driving through the streets of Paris, Anne
found her coach surrounded by a savage mob of market-
women. They screamed obscene insults, and one old
hag came close to the coach door. " Queen," she
snarled, ignoring all courtesy titles, " you have a man in
your house who is taking everything."

Scared and indignant, Anne returned to the palace
to be greeted with another moral lecture. La Porte,
emboldened by years of devoted service, warned her of
the dangers of her course. " All the world is talking
about you and His Eminence in a way that ought to
make you reflect on your position," he said bluntly.
" Who says that ? " demanded Anne. " Everybody. It
is so common that no one talks of any tiling else." He
adds, " She reddened and became angry."

Anne resented criticism and ignored warnings. Help-
lessly infatuated by her Italian lover, she went recklessly
on her way and in the process alienated all her old friends.
Marie de Hautefort could never curb her sharp tongue
and was constantly in trouble for criticizing the Cardinal.
She combined this critical humour with an annoying
loyalty to comrades of former days. One evening she
was helping the Queen to undress and seized the oppor-
tunity to intercede for one of Anne's old servants who
was in distress. Anne shrugged the matter aside im-
patiently and Marie de Hautefort lost her temper.
Kneeling there with one stocking in her hand she said

272 MARIE DE ROHAN

sharply that Anne " ought not to forget old friends."
The Queen flared up at this blunt criticism. There was
a brisk interchange of compliments and Marie de Haute-
fort was ordered from the room. The next day she was
dismissed from Court for ever.

With all their faults, Marie de Chevreuse and her
group of comrades can never be accused of disloyalty to
their friends. The news of the callous dismissal of the
maid-of-honour brought them out on the warpath,
rallying to the rescue. Marie de Hautefort had sacrificed
her career, repulsed the friendship of Louis and won the
enmity of Richelieu by her whole-hearted fealty to Anne.
Now she was to be turned out ignominiously for a hasty
word. De Jars pleaded for her to the Queen and then
tackled Mazarin again. Marie de Chevreuse had little
hope of accomplishing anything but she went daunt-
lessly to the attack.

She had never referred to her own past services but
she was eloquent in reminding Anne of Marie de Haute-
fort's devotion and courage in her cause. The more
Marie pleaded, the more obstinate Anne became. She
had no desire to be reminded of those terrible days when
she had quaked before Richelieu and lived in terror.
The very sight of Marie de Hautefort made her think
of the Bastille and the Val de Grace. The argument
became heated and Marie's comments were more truth-
ful than politic. Anne in return delivered a crushing
rebuke and, in effect, ordered Marie to mind her own
business.

Madame de Motteville was present at the quarrel and
describes it with unction. She was personally only too
glad to see this coterie of old friends being cleared out
of the palace. It left her in the enviable position of being
the Queen's closest friend. " Madame de Chevreuse,"

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 273

she writes, " disgusted at seeing her friends exiled and
her own influence lessening day by day, complained to
the Queen of the little consideration she showed to her
servants. The Queen requested her not to interfere
but to leave her to govern the State and to choose what
ministers she pleased and to manage her affairs in her
own way. She advised Madame de Chevreuse to live
pleasantly in France, not to mix herself in any intrigues
but to enjoy a peace she had never had under the late
King. She represented to her that it was time to find
pleasure in retreat and to regulate her life in thoughts of
the other world."

Marie's fury at this pompous speech may be imagined.
Just why, and on whose account, had she never had any
peace ? For whose sake had she spent weary years
wandering about Europe, impoverished, homeless, in
peril of losing her liberty and life itself ? It was because
of her loyalty to the portly woman who had the effrontery
to read her a sermon before retiring to the arms of her
Italian lover. As Madame de Motteville sagely remarks :
*' Nothing makes minds so rebellious as preachments
against the grain."

This stormy scene killed the love for Anne of Austria
that had been the great motivating force in Marie's life.
It left a wound but did not by any means quell her
fighting spirit. There were other friends left to help and
an enemy to fight worthy of her steel. Putting aside
vain regrets, Marie plunged with renewed zest into the
struggle against Mazarin. " After the lion, the snake,"
she said contemptuously and set out to crush the supple
creature who had wormed his way into the Queen's
heart.

Mazarin was well aware of her hostility and his diary
during these months is full of references to the struggle.

274 MARIE DE ROHAN

*' Madame de Chevreuse still hopes to cause my dis-
missal . . . she says that, if they do not resolve to rid
themselves of me, affairs will never be any better, and
the nobles will be as much enthralled as formerly ; that
my power will increase and that it is necessary to bring
matters to a crisis before Enghien returns with the
army."

Mazarin was now definitely committed to the Conde
faction and felt that the favour he had shown the family
would ensure the support of the victorious general.
Backed by a popular commander and the royal army,
his position would be impregnable. Marie too saw the
strength of his position and took steps to neutrahze it.
Enghien at the head of his army was a force to be
reckoned with. Enghien as a private individual was
merely a bad-tempered young cub with more energy
than sense. He could not be taken from his army but
his army could be taken from liim. In other words,
with the cessation of hostilities, the army would melt
away. Marie began to work for peace.

In this she found herself seeing eye-to-eye with the
Queen. As a Spaniard, Anne was getting little satis-
faction out of this war against her own country. War
only drained the revenues of the country and impover-
ished the people. Further, Anne was an ardent Catholic
and disliked fighting against Spain with the help of
Protestant Sweden. Marie's offer to approach the
Archduke Leopold, Spanish Viceroy in the Netherlands,
was received with favour. So was her suggestion that a
marriage be arranged between Leopold and La Grande
Mademoiselle the daughter of Gaston.

Negotiations were well under way and peace was in
sight when Mazarin intervened. He, too, wanted peace,
but he did not want it on Marie's terms or at her sugges-

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 275

tion. He persuaded Gaston to refuse the proposed
match and made endless diplomatic difficulties. At the
same time he used his influence with the Queen to turn
her against Madame de Chevreuse. The covered passage
gave him an immense advantage over his rival and in
those intimate " conferences " with Anne he bent her
to his will. Marie, too played his game. She was not a
patient person at the best of times and allowed her scorn
of the Cardinal to show too plainly. The subtle cam-
paign degenerated into open warfare and in that she was
hopelessly at a disadvantage. Anne, intoxicated with
the sweetness of those stolen hours, took the side of her
lover. Marie lost her temper and told Her Majesty a
few home-truths.

Finally, after a more than usually violent quarrel,
Anne signed an order banishing the Duchess to her
Chateau of Dampierre. She was given 200,000 livres,
(probably the balance of Anne's debt to her) dismissed
from Court and told, kindly and firmly, to keep quiet.
It was a crushing blow to Marie. Heart-broken but
defiant, she retired from the Court, taking her favourite
daughter, Charlotte Marie, with her.

Her other daughters were both in convents. In that
day, ladies of quality sought appointment as abbesses
just as gentlemen clamoured for political appointments.
The revenues of a great abbey were a substantial gift, and
the Lady Abbess a person of importance. Anne Marie
de Lorraine, Marie's eldest daughter, was Abbess of
Port au Dames, the younger, Henriette, Abbess of
Jouarre. Her son, Louis Charles d' Albert, Count de
Luynes, was an officer on Conde's staff.

So far, then, Marie's return to Court had accomplished
much. Her family were well-provided for with the
exception of Charlotte Marie. This youngest daughter

276 MARIE DE ROHAN

chose to accompany her mother into exile and followed
her checkered career to the end. Through the stormy
days to come, through all the ups and downs of capricious
fortune, they remained together, friends and loyal
companions.

Marie had been warned by Anne to abstain from
political activities, but while she lived she must needs be
intriguing. She had a new grievance against the estab-
lished order of things and a new cause to champion.
The year before, Henriette Marie had arrived from
England with her tiny baby. She was a fugitive and had
only escaped from the all-conquering Cromwell after
incredible adventures. She had been pursued by a
Parliamentary vessel in the Channel and eluded it only
to be wrecked by a storm on the coasts of Brittany.
Now she was safe in France but her husband and the rest
of her family were prisoners in the hands of Cromwell.

Marie had flown to the side of her friend and begged
Mazarin to send troops to the aid of the English royalists.
The Cardinal demurred. Richelieu had financed the
Puritans during his reign. His successor did not go so
far as that but he saw no reason for intervention. In
vain Marie worked and interceded, argued and stormed.
Neither Anne nor the minister would act. They offered
Henriette asylum in France and a welcome at Court.
Beyond that they would not go.

With her exile to Dampierre, Marie began active
measures on behalf of the unfortunate Queen of Eng-
land. Before, she had worked for Anne against Riche-
lieu. Now she w^orked for Henriette against Mazarin,
and with the same weapons. Spain again was called on
to help and Marie was using her influence with the Court
of Madrid on behalf of the royalist cause. At the same
time she turned to another old ally, Charles of Lorraine.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 277

He was no longer a Duke but had made a name for him-
self as a military leader. With his army of mercenaries,
he drifted about Europe, offering his services to the
highest bidder. Marie begged him to take his troops to
England and try conclusions with Cromwell's Ironsides.

Charles was quite willing and professed himself
Marie's adoring servant to command. His army was
less agreeable. They were ready to fight anyone, any-
where, any time, but only for cold cash. Who would
pay them in England ? Certainly not King Charles.
Henriette Marie had already sold her jewels to pay the
dwindling royaUst army and every cavalier was melting
down his silver and beggaring himself for the King's
cause.

Marie conceived the brilliant idea of inducing Spain
to pay the Lorrainer's troops. Philip could not see any
profit for Spain in such a transaction and played for
time. Meanwhile there was much correspondence, much
coming and going, much subterranean activity. Marie
was back at her old game and playing it with great gusto.
Officially, she was forbidden to communicate with her
friends at Court but she received many clandestine
visitors. Campion and Montresor came often to see her,
carefully disguised. She was in touch with Vendome,
Bouillon and Lord Goring, British Ambassador in Paris.
Young Craft, still head over heels in love, was her
messenger in place of Montagu, and she used the English
Embassy as her post office.

Mazarin spied on her much as Richelieu had done and
knew of her doings. He scented danger in all this
activity and warned Anne. When Henriette Marie
wanted to visit her friend at Dampierre, permission was
brusquely refused. Anne ordered that no one was to
hold communication with Madame de Chevreuse on any

278 MARIE DE ROHAN

pretext whatsoever. Traps were set to catch visitors
and into one of them tumbled a harmless rabbit of a
physician, summoned from Paris to attend the Duchess.

Marie was really ill at tliis time and the visit of the
physician was a bona fide professional one. Never-
theless he was arrested and questioned as to his presence
at Dampierre. The good man knew nothing of his
patient's treasonable activities but he had seen certain
tilings during his visit wliich supplied Mazarin with
useful information.

Infuriated by the arrest of her physician, Marie wrote
to Anne scolding her for the " outrage " in a most high-
handed manner. The Queen retaliated by sending a
troop of guards to arrest the Duchess and take her to the
fortress of Angouleme, where Chateauneuf had lan-
guished for ten years. ^Marie's first intimation of this
was the appearance at the Chateau of the guards, com-
manded by a young officer named Ricquette. It was a
staggering blow, but her quick wits rose to the occasion.

Smiling sweetly at the officer, Marie begged him to
accept a little refreshment while she collected a few
necessaries for the journey. Flattered by the gracious-
ness of such a noble lady, Ricquette sat down to wait for
her. An hour later he was still waiting but he reflected
with a superior masculine smile that ladies always take
an interminable time dressing. By the time he became
suspicious, Marie de Chevreuse was far away, and with
her was her daughter, Charlotte. Escaping by a back
door with nothing but their jewels and a small bundle
of clothing, they plunged into the tliick woods that
surrounded the Chateau. Ricquette sent his men along
all the roads but could never find a trace of the fugitives.

Following unfrequented lanes, travelling by night and
buying food from isolated cottages, Marie and Charlotte

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 279

came at length to St. Malo, a sea-port on the Coast of
Brittany. There they found the captain of a small
coasting vessel who agreed to take them to England.
Before leaving, Marie got in touch with a gentleman of
St. Malo called Coetquin and entrusted her jewels to
him with the request that they be sent to the Count de
Montresor. With them was a letter to the Count.

Coetquin was a good Breton, glad to do anything to
oblige a Rohan, but he had no desire to put his own neck
in a noose. He duly sent jewels and letter to Montresor.
The next day he wrote to Mazarin telling him what he
had done. Mazarin promptly decided to seize the jewels
and arrest Montresor. The officer sent to effect the
arrest found the Count reading a letter from the Duchess.
He tried to seize it but Montresor was too quick for him.
In the struggle it was torn in half. The infatuated man
threw one half on the fire and swallowed the other.

The jewels were hidden in a safe place and Montresor
steadily refused to reveal their whereabouts. As a
punishment for his obstinacy, he was allowed to rot in
prison for a year and treated with the utmost severity.
Referring to his fate, a French historian writes : " This
passion was fatal to Montresor. Nothing did him more
harm than his love for the Duchess, which he could not
conquer. What a strange effect has this furious passion
when once it makes itself master of a heart too tender
and too voluptuous I "

While Montresor lay in the dungeons of the Bastille,
his friends were active in his behalf. Members of the
House of Guise, in particular, interceded for him,
pointing out that he was guilty of no crime and that his
imprisonment showed mere malice on the Cardinal's
part. At last Mazarin yielded to the pressure and re-
leased the prisoner. In an attempt to make amends he

28o MARIE DE ROHAN

invited him to dinner, apologized for tlie whole affair,
which he blamed on others, and tried to conciliate the
Count. It was wasted effort. Montresor could not for-
give the injustice of his arrest, the brutality with which
he had been treated or the exile of Marie de Chevreuse.
He remained one of Mazarin's bitterest enemies.

Marie, meanwhile, had sailed for England with the
idea of helping King Charles in his tribulations. Any
lost cause was sure of her sympathies and the royalist
cause was most assuredly lost, beyond all hope of re-
demption. Indomitably she set out, but the fatigues and
dangers of the flight from Dampierre had exhausted her
strength and she took ship more dead than alive. The
choppy waters of the Channel in the Februar)^ gales did
not improve her condition and for a time Charlotte had
visions of burying her mother at sea. To cap the climax,
the lugger was chased and overhauled by a Parliamentary
frigate. Cromwell had no intention of allowing the lire-
brand to land in England, and had sent to intercept her.

The lugger was taken into Guernsey, one of the
Channel Islands and there Madame la Duchesse and
Charlotte were put ashore. Cromwell wished to send
her back to France. Mazarin politely but firmly refused
to have her. While the diplomats argued, Marie re-
mained midw^ay between the two countries, like Ma-
homet's coffin suspended between earth and heaven.
Annoying as was the situation, it gave her time to recover
from her illness and regain some of her old verve.

She celebrated her return to health by captivating
Lord Pembroke, the Governor of the Island. He took
up her cause with fervour and tried to procure for her a
passport to England. When it was brusquely refused,
Marie cast about for a refuge more to her liking than
this desolate island in mid-channel.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 281

All through the spring of 1645 Marie remained in
Guernsey, suffering from ill-health, cold and appalling
boredom. Not until July did release come. Then,
through Pembroke and friends in London, the Spanish
Ambassador was induced to issue a passport to Liege
in the Spanish Netherlands. Once again Marie was an
exile, and it was five years before she returned to her
beloved France.

CHAPTER XVII

WHEN Mazarin heard that Marie de Chevreuse
had fled from France, he solemnly recorded the
fact in his diary and added complacently :
" How merrily has she gone to her ruin, who might have
been one of the most fortunate women in the world."
He rejoiced in the belief that the departure of his most
dangerous opponent would put an end to his troubles.
As it happened, liis self-congratulation was a Uttle
premature and the worst was yet to come.

Witliin a generation, French liistory repeated itself.
The murder of Henry of Navarre had left the country at
the mercy of the strong-willed Marie de Medici who
ruled for her infant son with the help of the Italian
adventurer, Concini. The favours she showered on this
creature aUenated the nobles and caused a civil war that
lasted for seven years. The leader of the rebellious lords
was the Duke de Conde.

The death of Louis XIII left a parallel situation. Once
again a self-willed foreign Queen ruled with the help of
an Italian adventurer. Once again the nobles, jealous of
the growing power of the favourite, embroiled the
country in civil war. For four years France was destined
to be torn with internecine strife and once again the
storm centre would be a Duke de Conde.

The scandal of the letters, the dismissal of Madame de
Montbazon and the fiasco of " The Importants " had
weakened the Vendome faction. The exile of Marie de
Chevreuse was a further blow and left the House of

28:2

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 285

Conde in the ascendant. It was vital that d'Enghien,
who had succeeded his father as Duke de Conde, should
be kept loyal to the Minister. As First Prince of the
Blood and commander-in-chief of the army, he wielded
a very big stick. It was equally vital that his power
should be kept within reasonable limits. With one hand
Mazarin fed Conde, with the other he stroked Vendome
or patted Gaston, now Lord-Lieutenant of the Kingdom.

So much for the Court. In the country districts
poverty and famine stalked hand in hand, taking ruthless
toU. Continual wars, excessive taxation and the break-
down of trade had reduced the lower classes to utter
destitution. The tax-gatherers took tools from the arti-
sans, ploughs and live stock from the farmers, leaving
them with no means of making a living. Whole families
crawled into dung-hills to keep warm or lay meekly
down to die with their bones piercing the emaciated
flesh. Great stretches of country, laid waste by the
passage of the armies, were given up to weeds and one
could ride for leagues without seeing a smoking chimney
or a cultivated field.

Under the iron hand of Richelieu the country had
lain mute, crushed into submission. Now heads were
raised and from the devastated land rose a murmur of
despair that quickly became a howl of rage. There is a
desperate courage that comes from having nothing left to
lose. When a man sees his children dying of starvation
before liis eyes, he is not interested in foreign politics or
Court intrigues. The country was sick; its wounds
were gangrenous and the people demanded relief. They
laid the blame not on Richelieu, whose policy was
responsible for this ghastly state of affairs, but on the
ItaUan who was soon to bring the war to a triumphant
close. In every remote village, in every crowded town

284 MARIE DE ROHAN

throughout the land, his name was reviled. Men cursed
him, with his pomaded hair and soft greedy hands. He
was hated with a bitterness that few men have inspired
and included in the pubUc condemnation was " Madame
Anne."

So long as the burden was borne by the country dis-
tricts, ParUament remained philosophical. Farm relief
was as unsatisfactory then as now. The solid middle
class in the cities, however, knew how to make them-
selves heard and it was a new tax imposed on property in
Paris that roused the deputies to action. Anne found
herself faced by a stubborn body of legislators, insistent
that the new tax be withdrawn. She startled the deputies
by a shrill scream of rage, told them brusquely to shut
their mouths, and stamped out of the chamber. A
deputation which came to the palace to voice a protest
was dismissed with scant ceremony, and Anne vowed to
make an example of Broussel, the leader of the opposition.

Then came Paul de Gondi, better known to history as
the Cardinal de Retz, who thus makes his first appearance
on the stage. He was Bishop-Coadjutor of Paris and
came as the people's representative to urge the Queen
to make some concessions. She would have done well
to listen to his advice. Instead, she found him merely
funny and after his departure amused her intimates by
imitating his walk and manner.

There was, it must be admitted, something grotesque
about the Coadjutor. He had a swarthy face with prom-
inent, short-sighted eyes, a snub nose and a wide
sensual mouth. His broad heavy torso was awkwardly
set on a pair of bandy legs and he walked with " a
prancing, tip-toeing swagger " that suggested " an
unfortunate ballet-master whose troubles had dethroned
his reason."

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 285

His appearance may have been peculiar, but he was
not the man to be dismissed so lightly. The goggle eyes
could see farther through a brick wall than most. The
snub nose denoted pugnacity, courage and a resource-
fulness that made him a formidable foe. His reason was
far from being " dethroned " and behind the sensual
lips was the golden tongue of a born orator. With it,
he could sweep his hearers off their feet, rouse them to
blind fury or calm them to patient restraint. The rest-
less Paris mob was his chosen instrument and on it he
played whatever tune pleased him. Unfortunately, the
tune he chose was always the one best suited to his own
interests. He was quite frankly out for himself and
those bandy legs were to carry him far up the ladder
of success before he toppled down and landed in a
prison.

Later, Anne was to realize the mistake she made in
antagonizing de Retz. For the moment, her love for
Mazarin blinded her ; her determination to have her
own way made her deaf to reason. While matters were
still at a deadlock, news came from the battlefront.

Marie de Chevreuse, from her exile at Liege, had been
carrying on her campaign against Mazarin and had
joined hands with the Archduke Leopold, who com-
manded the Spanish forces. He had a great admiration
for her intelligence and profited by her accurate knowl-
edge of the position of affairs in France. Anne became
embroiled with the deputies late in July, 1648. In that
same month Marie told Leopold that the time had come
for a decisive attack. The Court was in a turmoil, the
country in dire straits and the Queen at logger-heads
with the Parliament. Conde's forces were depleted by
disease and desertions and he was on the defensive. So
serious was the military outlook that Mazarin wrote to

286 MARIE DE ROHAN

Conde : " I conjure you. Monsieur, to bear in mind that
on this occasion we have more need of your prudence
than of your courage."

Marie's advice was sound. Forced marches and a
surprise attack would have found Conde's forces isolated
and unable to offer much resistance. Instead of striking
swiftly, Leopold dawdled and procrastinated. When it
was almost too late, he set out with a great fanfare of
trumpets and enough camp equipment to hamper a
Napoleon. The French had ample warning of his inten-
tions and were able to combine their two main armies.
Conde and Turerme drew together at Lens, caught the
leisurely Spaniard in a trap and administered a crushing
defeat.

When the good tidings of the battle reached Paris,
Anne thought that the moment had come for a decisive
stroke. Backed by a victorious army, she felt able to
deal firmly with her pugnacious subjects. Wliile the
bells of Notre Dame were still ringing out their glad
carillon and the citizens were making merry, Broussel
and two of his colleagues were put under arrest. The
officer who performed this duty was the same Com-
minges who was said to have solved Anne's matrimonial
difficulties in 1637, and who had been her devoted
servant ever since.

If the Queen imagined that the arrest of the deputies
would pass unnoticed in the general jubilation, she was
mistaken. No sooner had the news circulated than the
bells of Notre Dame were drowned in the howl of an
angry mob. The streets, lately filled with hilarious
crowds, were barricaded and the whole city was in an
uproar. When the mobs were ordered to disperse, they
retorted by coming en masse to the palace and yelling
beneath the windows. A delegation forced its way into

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 287

the Queen's presence and demanded the dismissal of
Mazarin and the immediate release of Broussel.

Anne had the courage of obstinacy and refused to
accede to the demands of her people. With the deadly
patience of beasts of prey the mob waited outside in the
broiling August sun for the return of the delegation.
Then the noise redoubled. Stones were thrown and the
air was filled with howls of execration.

For days the siege of the Palais Royal continued but
Anne remained obdurate. De Retz was very much to
the fore, playing a complicated game of his own. In the
streets, he went about on foot like a good democrat,
inciting the people to fight for their cause. In the palace,
he professed himself the loyal supporter of the Court
but advised the Queen to make some concessions and
offered his services as mediator. He was suave, court-
eous and diplomatic, making every effort to ingratiate
himself with Anne and Mazarin.

Once again Anne rejected de Retz and depended solely
on Mazarin. In the crisis, he proved a broken reed.
With all his subtlety and political ability, he was an arrant
physical coward and shrank from violence. When he
heard the savage yells of the mob liis knees shook and
his cheeks turned pale beneath the rouge. His only
thought was of flight to save liis own skin. Repeatedly
he urged Anne to escape with the little King and put
herself beyond the reach of the infuriated people. She
had only to look across the Channel to see what the man
in the street could do when roused. Was not King
Charles of England being tried for his life by his own
Parliament ? Was not his Queen even then a fugitive
in the Palace, living on French charity ?

All through the autumn, Anne held out against her
lover's frantic pleadings. Then she suddenly decided to

288 MARIE DE ROHAN

follow his advice. In the dead of night, without warning,
the Court fled secretly to St. Germains. Helter-skelter,
without baggage or spare clothing, they bundled into
carriages and drove off through the darkness. Being a
mere summer pavilion, St. Germains had been dis-
mantled and no preparations had been made for the
invasion. In the cold winter dawn these pampered lords
and ladies found themselves without fires, bedding or
any of the comforts of life. The little King and his
brother shared a mattress on the floor. Many had not
even a blanket between them and the bare boards.

From her uncomfortable refuge at St. Germains,
Anne ordered the deputies to leave Paris and go home.
They retorted with a demand that Mazarin be dismissed
from office. Once again it was a deadlock. Anne
gritted her teeth and determined to starve her rebellious
people into submission. Most of the food supply of the
city was brought in from the suburbs and it was a
comparatively easy matter to cut off supplies by guarding
the roads. Before long, the citizens felt the pinch of
hunger but de Retz kept their anger at boiling point.
They might die but they would never surrender. He
raised an army of twelve thousand men called the
Corinthians, and prepared to keep the roads open.

Matters were at tliis stage when Conde returned
victorious from the wars and took a hand. De Retz had
been angling for liis support but the favour shown by
Mazarin to the General and his family now bore fruit.
Conde rejected all the overtures of the popular party.
" My name is Louis de Bourbon," he said magnilo-
quently, " and I can do nothing to shake the throne."
He went to St. Germains, assured Anne of his unshakable
loyalty, and took command of the situation. With his
troops he drew a cordon tight about Paris and system-

Cardinal Mazarin

[Face page zi

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 289

atically laid waste the market gardens that surrounded
the walls. The citizens watched the work of destruction
and felt their admiration for the hero of Rocroi and
Lens oozing away.

Mazarin rubbed his hands with glee at the acquisition
of Conde and thought that it was all over but the shout-
ing. Then matters took a curious turn. When the
people cried " Down with Mazarin," they woke a
responsive chord in many an aristocratic heart. Nobles
who had been disappointed in their hopes of preferment
thought the canaille showed excellent judgment in
yelling for the Minister's blood. The appearance of
Conde further complicated matters. The young Duke
was supreme at St. Germains and in his ineffable conceit
trod heavily on the sensitive toes of less favoured gentry.
The old rivalry between the two factions was still active
and enemies of the House of Conde turned naturally
to the side of the Fronde, as the Parisian party was called.

One noble after another, loathing Mazarin and jealous
of Conde's prestige, slipped away from St. Germains to
join the Frondeurs in Paris. The Duke de Beaufort,
after a dramatic escape from Vincennes, had taken refuge
in the Netherlands. Now he appeared in Paris and was
greeted with enthusiasm. Parliament formally acquitted
him of the charge of conspiring to assassinate Mazarin
five years before and the city took him to its heart. His
blond beauty, democratic manners and startling flow of
obscene language endeared him to the rougher element
and he was dubbed " Le roi des Halles," king of the
markets.

Rochefoucauld was early known as a Frondeur. His
romantic devotion to Anne in earlier days had brought
him into disfavour with Richelieu. He had been im-
prisoned in the Bastille for a week on suspicion of

290 MARIE DE ROHAN

helping Marie de Chevreuse to escape to Spain and had
forfeited a Marshal's baton by liis loyalty to the Queen.
Naturally, he had expected to be rewarded for his services
during the Regency but had found himself ignored, on
the advice of Mazarin. He was among the first to join
the Fronde, and was one of the Cardinal's bitterest
enemies.

Then came the Duke d'Elboeuf, a member of the
House of Guise. His arrival so delighted the Frondeurs
that they made him commander-in-cliief of the army of
Paris. The next recruit was the Duke de Bouillon who
could never resist an opportunity to embroil liimself in
any rising. He and d'Elboeuf were just beginning to
enjoy themselves as Frondeurs when they were echpsed
by even more exalted recruits.

The Duchesse de Longueville, so long famous for her
chastity, had at last succumbed to the polished charms
of Rochefoucauld, and her fall from her aloof pedestal
was to have far-reacliing results. The flame lit in her
snowy bosom by the elegant flaneur became a raging
conflagration that destroyed family ties, loyalty to her
house, everything that she had held dear in the past.
Influenced by her lover, the Duchess abandoned Conde
and joined the Fronde. With her she brought her
husband and the Prince de Conti, her younger brother,
who was accused of loving liis brilliant sister with a
fervour more gallant than fraternal.

When Conti appeared at the gates, the Frondeurs were
overcome with incredulous delight. They showered
him with compliments and made liim commander-in-
chief, deposing d'Elboeuf. Conde roared with laughter
when he heard that liis frail weakling of a brother had
been given command of an army, but Paris was all
enthusiasm. The two Duchesses, de Longueville and

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 29I

de Bouillon, were given almost royal honours, and sat
in state in the public square to watch the storming of the
Bastille. Cannon roared, violins sounded, scarves waved
and the crowd shouted ecstatically. After about six
shots had been fired, the gates of the Bastille were thrown
open and the keys surrendered to the sovereign people
of Paris.

Madame de Montbazon returned from the country
and plunged into the thick of it all. Then La Grande
Mademoiselle, not to be done out of any excitement,
dehghted the adoring mob by establishing herself at the
Tuileries where she could watch the fun from her
windows.

Food was at starvation prices, the crowd was out of
hand and the whole city in a turmoil but the noble
recruits looked on the whole affair as a gorgeous jest and
played politics with immense vim. The women especi-
ally enjoyed every minute of it, " a bevy of voluptuous
dames rapturously engaged in making mischief." As
Voltaire says, " The French flung themselves into sedi-
tion through caprice, and with laughter. Women were
at the head of all the factions ; love made, and unmade,
cabals.'*

During this first phase of the Fronde the woman who
played the most prominent part was the Duchesse de
Longueville. She had already brought over two valu-
able recruits and had hopes of seducing Turenne from
the royal cause. The great general was already more
than susceptible to her charms and she felt that his
capitulation was only a matter of time. Meanwhile she
won the adoration of the populace by choosing the
Hotel de ViUe itself as the scene of her accouchement
and called her son Charles Paris. Her husband, more
practical, used his vast influence in Normandy on behalf

292 MARIE DE ROHAN

of the Fronde. Other provinces followed suit and soon
local parUaments all over France were demanding the
dismissal of Mazarin.

Political and personal issues were hopelessly entangled.
Families were divided ; factions formed and dissolved
overnight ; classes and masses mixed in democratic
familiarity. To the Burghers of Paris, the Fronde was a
fine political fracas ; to the nobles and their ladies, a
delightful opera bouffe with most entrancing oppor-
tunities for love and intrigue ; to the poor, it was stark
tragedy. For four years France was a seething cauldron
of intrigue, treachery and civil strife ; a devilish witches'
brew whose fumes poisoned the land and prepared the
way for the Revolution and the Terror.

Through all the excitement during the winter of 1648,
Marie remained at Liege. Her dealings with Leopold
before Lens had not escaped the knowledge of Mazarin
who had spoken reproaclifully to the Duke de Chevreuse
about her behaviour. Obediently, Chevreuse wrote
urging her to refrain from treasonous activities. Her
answer gave him little satisfaction. " I desire nothing
so much," she wrote, *' as to be with you in peace, and
see the affairs of our House in good condition, but I fear
my usual evil fortune will prevent my enjoying this
great good."

A charming sentiment, of course, but not to be taken
seriously. Marie's most *' evil fortune " at the moment
was being deprived of any share in such a gorgeous
turmoil. Like the war horse of Biblical fame, she smelt
the battle afar off and champed with impatience. Help-
less, inactive at Liege, she positively sizzled with im-
potent fury while her son. Count de Luynes, fought with
the Corinthians and her elderly husband shouldered a
pike at the barricades.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 293

Her exile was almost over. Though out of sight,
Marie de Chevreuse was too forceful a personality to be
out of mind. De Retz saw in her a great potential asset
to the Fronde and early in the game made overtures.
They were prompted by a shrewd knowledge of human
nature. Where Mazarin had offered a bare-faced bribe,
de Retz won her sympathies by a subtle compliment.
Conde's army was giving the royalist side an immense
advantage. De Retz begged Marie to use her influence
with Leopold to secure Spanish troops for the Fronde.

A request of this nature was almost certain to enlist
Marie's support. To make assurance doubly sure, de
Retz selected as his envoy the man who seemed most
likely to appeal to the Duchess on the emotional side.

In January 1649 there appeared at Liege the Sieur
Geoffrey de Laigue, Baron de Plessis-Patay and Lord of
Bondouffle. He was the antithesis of the elegant Holland
but Marie's tastes had changed with the passing years.
De Laigue was a robust creature, vital and challenging.
Full red lips, a roving eye and a flow of language more
forceful than polite stamped him as a soldier. He had,
in fact, been one of the officers on Conde's staff but a
quarrel with the arrogant young generalissimo had
thrown him into the arms of the Fronde. Without
being conspicuous for subtlety, de Laigue had a certain
forthright charm and was undoubtedly a man of parts.
De Retz sent him to Liege with instructions to win the
heart of the Duchess and enlist her under the banner of
the Fronde.

Like Campion he came, saw and was conquered.
The surrender was reciprocated but de Laigue never
broke the spell cast over him by Marie's matchless
charm. Until the day of his death thirty years later he
remained her staunch friend and devoted lover.

294 MARIE DE ROHAN

Marie in her turn succumbed to the wooing of de
Laigue but she required Uttle persuasion to take a hand
in the game. She at once opened negotiations with
Leopold who was quite ready to make the confusion in
France more confounded. Conde had inflicted two
crusliing defeats on the Archduke and this seemed an
excellent opportunity for revenge. Leopold promised to
invade France with 25,000 men early in the Spring.

Meanwliile Conde had deUvered a smashing blow at
the Fronde. At Charenton on the outskirts of Paris, a
pitched batde was fought on February 8 between the
royalist army and the Corinthians. It was the old story
of disciplined troops against enthusiastic amateurs.
Individual leaders, among whom Chevreuse was pro-
minent, performed prodigies of valour, but the result
was a foregone conclusion. The army of Paris was
routed and took refuge behind the barricades. StiU the
leaders of the Fronde refused to come to terms with the
Court. De Retz had an ace up liis sleeve in the form of
the Spanish army and induced his colleagues to hold out
a little longer.

Early in March Leopold was on the move and Turenne
suddenly deserted the Court and joined the Fronde.
Madame de LongueviUe had sapped liis loyalty but it
was Conde himself, with his farouche insolence, who
drove Turenne over to the opposition. The acquisition
of the great General, coinciding with the advance of the
Spanish army, completed the triumph of the Fronde.
Anne was forced to capitulate and notified ParUament
that she would consider their demands.

The proceedings of the next few weeks throw an
unlovely light on French aristocracy in the seventeenth
century. At the first hint that negotiations were to
begin, one noble after another sHpped secretly away to

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 295

St. Germains, each trying to make good terms for him-
self. With victory in sight, they could afford to drive
hard bargains and were insatiable in their demands.
Each noble beggar in turn was received warmly by
Mazarin who was ready:" to promise anything. He
wanted peace at any price and could see about keeping
his promises later.

Along with the herd went Chevreuse and his step-son,
de Luynes. They too had favours to ask but not for
themselves. De Luynes agreed to return to his allegiance
on condition that the Queen " would bring back the
Duchesse de Chevreuse, my mother, with all necessary
provision for her safety, so that she may go here and
there and live in any part of the country as it may please
her without being sought for on any account whatsoever,
or on any pretext of any kind."

Chevreuse too had come to plead for his wife's pardon.
All through her exile he had wearied Anne with his
intercessions and now returned to the attack with
renewed vigour. It was a painful interview. Anne told
him firmly that ** his wife had made countless cabals
against her service and that she would not be contented
or satisfied with her submission until she had seen a true
repentance.'*

When Chevreuse offered to be responsible for his
wife's conduct the Queen only laughed scornfully
and made some sarcastic remark to the effect that he
did not seem to have much control over Madame de
Chevreuse.

At this unanswerable retort, Chevreuse shifted his
ground and begged the royal clemency for his daughter,
Charlotte Marie. " She is really beautiful," he said
eagerly, and embarked on a catalogue of her charms.
Anne checked him brusquely and said with pious unction

296 MARIE t)E ROHAN

that Monsieur le Due " had too much love for beauty
and should now begin to love heaven and virtue."

Throughout the interview, Anne had been yelling at
the top of her lungs which partly accounts for her
acerbity. The old Duke, now well over seventy, was
stone deaf and somewhat decrepit but there was life in
the old dog yet. At Charenton he had distinguished
himself by his reckless bravery and Anne screamed re-
proaches at him for fighting against her. The old
aristocrat carried off the honours. He replied with
dignity that Paris and he had always been lovers and
that he had never fought against the Queen until she
turned on his first love. It was a curious throw-back to
the days when liis father, the Duke de Guise, had been
" King of Paris."

On April i, at Reuil, peace was formally signed
between Anne and the Fronde. A general amnesty
was proclaimed and the Court returned to the Palais
Royal.

On April 12, Marie de Chevreuse appeared in Paris,
accompanied by her lovely daughter and Geoffrey de
Laigue. No permission had been given her to return
but she had calmly taken a chance. Anne flew into one
of her sudden rages and peremptorily ordered Marie to
leave for Dampierre within twenty-four hours. Marie
appealed to de Retz. He in turn went to Mathew Mole,
President of the Parliament, and pleaded on the lady's
behalf. He had hardly mentioned her name when
Mole silenced him with a gracious wave of the hand.
*' Enough, my good Sir. You do not wish her to go ?
She shall not go. Besides," he added meditatively, " her
eyes are far too fine."

The Queen was helpless before the victorious Parlia-
ment and sulked while Paris made a fuss over its latest

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS K)-]

favourite. By inducing Leopold to advance with his
army Marie had forced Anne to come to terms and she
was enormously popular as a result. Among the mass
of pamphlets that flooded the town was one entitled :

THE FRENCH AMAZON

or

THE HELP OF THE PARISIANS

or

THE APPROACH OF THE TROOPS OF

MADAME DE CHEVREUSE

represented under the title of

THE ILLUSTRIOUS CONQUEROR

or

THE GENEROUS CONSTANCY OF

MADAME DE CHEVREUSE

The title-page suggests that the anonymous author
had some difficulty in selecting a name, but there was no
ambiguity in his treatment of his subject. For several
pages he indulged in eulogistic praise of the heroism and
brilliance of the Duchess and talked as though she had
won a war single-handed.

Marie established herself once again at the Hotel de
Chevreuse with de Laigue as a member of the household.
Old friends rallied round, and the great mansion became
the unofficial headquarters of the Fronde. A most
frequent visitor was the Coadjutor who came to profit
by the sage counsel of the mother and to bask in the
smiles of the daughter.

For all his grotesque appearance, de Retz fascinated
women and had a physical magnetism that was almost
hypnotic. His memoirs record his triumphs with a

298 MARIE DE ROHAN

curious blend of cynicism and humour, and the hst of
his conquests includes some of the proudest names in
France. Even the beautiful Anne de Rohan, Princess de
Guemene, was for a time his mistress. Lover, gambler
and bon vivant, de Retz cut a wide swath in Paris society.
His reputation was hardly fitting for a consecrated bishop
but he cheerfully thumbed his nose at the critics. " My
poor friend," he said to one pious soul, " you waste your
time preacliing to me. I know I am a rogue but I mean
to go on being one. I prefer it that way and get most
enjoyment out of it."

He now turned his attentions to young Mademoiselle
de Chevreuse and wooed her ardently. Charlotte was
extremely pretty with large blue eyes and masses of fair
hair. She was gay and lively, somewhat spoiled and
petulant perhaps, but had a vivacious charm. De Retz
said in his memoirs that " she was beautiful but silly to
a ridiculous extent." That did not prevent his pursuing
her with his attentions. The Bishop was not the man to
mix business with pleasure and did not demand brains
in the women he wooed.

Marie de Chevreuse had enough brains for two.
While too much a woman of the world to allow her
daughter to fall under the spell of de Retz, she profited
by his infatuation. Later when a turn of the wheel
brought her and Mazarin together, the Cardinal wrote
in his diary : " She confided to me that she would keep
de Retz in hand through her daughter, who behaved to
the Coadjutor in such a way as to make him in love with
her ; and the said lady did in fact i-ule him in tliis way."
Perhaps Charlotte was not so silly after all.

Within a few weeks after her return, Marie had
established herself as one of the ruling spirits of the
Fronde. From then on, the policy of the party was

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 299

dictated by the inner circle which met at the Hotel de
Chevreuse.

There was need for diplomacy during the months that
followed the Peace of Reuil. When the terms of the
treaty were made public, there was one concerted howl
of rage from the nobles. They had defied the Queen,
forfeited their prestige, fraternized with the canaille^
fought at the barricades, and what had they got out of
it ? Precisely nothing. The rascally Parliament had
made peace without extorting any favours for their noble
allies. It is true that a general amnesty had been pro-
claimed but there was no profit in that. The aristocratic
Frondeurs upbraided the deputies in most abusive terms
for such flagrant neglect of their interests, but recrimina-
tions, while a relief to the feelings, pay no dividends.
Mazarin cheerfully repudiated all the promises made in
those private conferences at St. Germains and nothing
could be done about it.

Backed by Conde and his army, Mazarin was now in a
strong position. Leopold had retreated and Turenne
was won back to his allegiance by a heavy bribe. Conti
and de Longueville, finding that Conde was in the
ascendancy, returned to the family fold. They thought
that there was more to be gained there than from the
Fronde, and their foresight was rewarded.

Conde felt that his loyalty during the recent disturb-
ance had entitled him to everything that was not nailed
down, and he claimed it. Titles, government posts,
pensions and gifts were distributed with a lavish hand
among his friends while the other Frondeurs were left
shivering out in the cold. Conde' s demands at last
became so outrageous that Mazarin was obliged to put
his foot down. There would soon be nothing left to
give.

300 MARIE DE ROHAN

The General promptly turned on Mazarin in high
dudgeon and threatened to have him dismissed. In self-
protection the Cardinal made tentative overtures to the
opposition, headed by de Retz and Marie de Chevreuse.
There was only one bribe that would buy Marie's co-
operation and Mazarin paid it. In August he induced the
Queen to receive Madame la Duchesse at Court.

On September 5 a great fete was given to celebrate
the King's eleventh birthday. When the music struck
up, Louis led out La Grande Mademoiselle, his first
cousin. His younger brother, Phillippe of Anjou danced
with little Anne de Rohan, daughter of Madame de
Montbazon ; the partner of the Prince de Conti was
Charlotte Marie de Lorraine, Mademoiselle de Chevreuse.
The selection of partners for the first dance, formally
arranged by Court officials, according to rules of pre-
cedence, proves that Marie de Chevreuse and la Mont-
bazon were firmly re-established at Court. Anne's hand
had been forced but she did not pretend to like it. She
held the fete in the daytime out of pure feminine malice.
" Certain Frondeuses," she said cattishly, " wear too
much rouge to enjoy appearing except by artificial light."

Meanwhile Conde plunged recklessly on liis way.
Success had gone to his head and he imagined himself
Dictator of France.

" I am Sir Oracle
And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark."

Nothing might be done at Court without his per-
mission and he was developing an exaggerated case of
megalomania. A boy in liis early twenties is easily
unbalanced by fame, but nothing can excuse Conde's
arrogant folly at this time.

The proposed match between the Duke de Mercoeur
and one of Mazarin's nieces is a case in point. All

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 30I

arrangements had been made when Conde stepped in.
He professed himself aghast at the idea of a Peer of
France marrying a low-born Italian girl and insisted on
the negotiations being broken off. Mercoeur, Ven-
dome's son, naturally resented the interference of Conde
but Mazarin was forced to yield. Conde blackmailed
him by threatening to join the Fronde. To prevent
this, the Cardinal actually signed a promise not to
marry any of his nieces without the Duke's consent.
He further agreed not to grant any appointments
without first consulting him and to '* remember his
friends and servants " when any lucrative posts were
vacant.

Apparently Mazarin was helpless beneath the heel of
Conde but he was never so dangerous as when he was
most humble. With all his circuitous guile he set him-
self to weaken the young dictator and, as a first step,
isolated him from all his fellow nobles. It was in
October that the famous " War of the Taborets " threw
society into a fresh turmoil, and in it Mazarin found his
opportunity.

A taboret is a low stool, but the term had a special
significance in French Court circles. It meant the
privilege of being seated in the royal presence and corres-
ponded to the right of a Spanish grandee to keep his hat
on before the King. In an informal audience those who
had the grant of Taboret sat on stools scattered about
the room. Others, less favoured, stood wearily on their
noble legs. Petty as all this may seem, it was of vast
importance in a Court where matters of precedence were
of all-absorbing interest.

Rochefoucauld wanted the Taboret for his wife and
asked his mistress, Madame de Longueville, to use her
influence in the matter. She went to her all-powerful

302 MARIE DE ROHAN

brother and persuaded liim to obtain this favour from
the Queen. Anne was dubious about granting yet
another privilege to a member of the Conde clan, but
Mazarin himself urged her to consent. He foresaw with
accuracy what would happen.

No sooner had the Queen announced that Madame de
Rochefoucauld had been granted the Taboret than a
storm of protest shook the Court. Gilded coaches
rattled furiously through the streets of Paris, going from
one Hotel to another. In a hundred salons excited groups
discussed this latest victory for the insufferable Conde.
Solemn meetings were held, formal protests drawn up
and submitted to the Queen. Each noble family felt
affronted by the grant and a common grievance drew
them together. The Conde clan, complacent in victory,
presented an impervious front to all attacks and soon
found itself isolated. DeUghted with the success of his
ruse, Mazarin rubbed his hands with glee, but Anne was
frightened by the storm she had raised. She hastily
withdrew the Taboret from Madame de Rochefoucauld,
thus winning the nobles over to her side and alienating
Conde.

In his annoyance at the withdrawal of the Taboret, the
Duke picked a quarrel with the Queen herself. A mar-
riage was being discussed between Mademoiselle de
Chevreuse and the Duke de RicheUeu, nephew of the late
Cardinal. For some mysterious reason the handsome,
wealthy young peer had entangled liimself with a
Madame de Pons, a lady of uncertain age, unattractive
appearance and dubious antecedents. Once again Conde
interfered and engineered an elopement between Riche-
lieu and the elderly charmer. Anne was furious at this
contretemps and threatened to have the marriage an-
nulled since her consent had not been obtained. Conde

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 303

retorted haughtily : *' Marriages made in my presence
are not made to be annulled."

More quarrels followed and Conde realized that his
dictatorship was over. Forgetting his lordly announce-
ment that he could " do nothing to shake the throne,"
he left the Court in a rage and joined the Fronde. Maz-
arin smiled with satisfaction. Now that he had won
back the rest of the nobles, he was no longer afraid of
his petulant lordship. Let him do his worst. His very
presence in the ranks of the Fronde would weaken them.

Once again the shrewd Minister was right. Conde
was received with acclaim by Parliament but he sowed
dissension wherever he went. He was bored with
debates about taxation, jealous of de Retz and Beaufort,
disgusted with his loss of prestige. In a very short time
he had quarrelled with the leaders of the Fronde and
found himself cold-shouldered by both sides. It was at
this point that Marie de Chevreuse stepped in and took
control.

CHAPTER XVIII

IN the six months that had intervened since her return
from exile, Marie de Chevreuse had made herself
the guiding spirit of the Fronde. There were more
spectacular figures gyrating about in the limelight. Each
eddy in the political whirlpool threw up a new aspirant
to fame, only to sweep him away to oblivion in the next
upheaval. Parties formed and reformed, men and
women changed sides with bewildering rapidity.
Through the maze the Duchess moved serenely, sure of
her aims and of her ability to achieve them.

The Coadjutor with his dynamic brilliance held the
front of the stage but behind his dasliing manceuvres was
the cool brain of the veteran intriguante. Through her
daughter, she drew him into the sphere of her influence ;
by her genius, she controlled him and, through him,
Parliament and the people of Paris. Victor Cousin, the
French historian whose monographs on this period have
been crowned by the Academy, says authoritatively :
" La Fronde, c''etait Madame de Chevreuse T

De Retz, always a shrewd judge of character, is
generous — for an egotist — in his praise of the women
who worked hand-in-glove with him. " I never saw,"
he writes, " anyone in whom intuition could so supply
the place of judgment. She suggested expedients so
brilliant that they seemed like flashes of lightning, and
so wise that they need not have been disowned by the
greatest men of any age."

304

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 305

In Conde's successive quarrels with the Court and the
Fronde Marie saw a chance to rid France of a trouble-
maker and to avenge the slights offered to her own
family by the House of Conde. She had not welcomed
him to the councils of the Fronde and was well pleased
when he quarrelled with Beaufort and de Retz. At the
same time, she did not want her party weakened by
dissensions. In a flash she envisaged a new line-up, one
that would eliminate Conde altogether. She planned a
rapprochement between Court and Fronde, an offensive
and defensive alliance designed to checkmate the swag-
gering Generalissimo.

Before the Duke could make his peace with the angry
Queen, Marie approached Mazarin who fell in readily
with her schemes. De Retz and the Cardinal, brought
together under her auspices, agreed that the common
danger could be best met by an alliance of forces. The
next step was to reconcile de Retz to the Queen. Not
for nothing had she been Anne's most intimate friend.
She coached the Coadjutor with the wisdom of ex-
perience. " Seem pensive while she is speaking, and look
constantly at her hands. She is very proud of them."

By a stroke of luck, Conde chose that moment to try
the same game. He introduced at Court an insignificant
little nincompoop called de Jarze and told him to make
love to the Queen. Like many small men, de Jarze was
inordinately conceited and thought himself irresistible.
His vanity and cocksureness so annoyed Anne that she
dismissed him from her presence. Conde took umbrage
at the dismissal of his protege and made himself even
more objectionable than usual.

De Retz shone by comparison with the scented little
fop, de Jarze. His clever ugly face, melodious voice and
physical magnetism intrigued Anne and she conceived a

3o6 MARIE DE ROHAN

genuine liking for liim. Mazarin encouraged the new
cordiality. He had once made the mistake of under-
rating the Coadjutor. Now he had learned liis lesson
and was eager to have him as an ally. The support of
Madame de Chevreuse was equally desirable. She
wielded enormous prestige and could bring in the
Houses of Vendome and Guise, thus affording a
valuable counter-balance to Conde.

Behold them then, tliis ill-assorted quartette set to
partners. While there was little love lost between the
two couples, they had a common interest and worked
together in harmony. It was a purely business arrange-
ment with no illusions on either side. De Retz wrote of
Mazarin, *' I never approached the Cardinal without
being persuaded that I was going to talk to the greatest
impostor in the world. I never left liim without being
charmed by him."

Once re-established in the Queen's good graces, Marie
worked steadily towards her main objective. This was
nothing less than the absolute overthrow of Conde. She
was not inclined to cherish a grudge over petty things
but the feud between the Houses was of long standing
and the Duke had repeatedly been the aggressor. By
breaking up the proposed match between her daughter
and the Duke de Richelieu he had again offended. He
was to be removed from the scene, if she could by any
means contrive it.

With the help of de Retz she began to instil in the
mind of Anne the idea that Conde was a chronic disturber
of the peace who should be imprisoned. Both Anne and
Mazarin were alarmed at the thought of such a drastic
step and doubted their ability to accomplish it. To
reinforce the quartette, Marie roped in other influential
personages and undertook to win over the Lord-

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 307

Lieutenant himself. Gaston had been so thoroughly
cowed by Richelieu that he seemed to have lost liis taste
for intrigue. He was content now to sit quietly on the
fence and watch others struggle. " With the skill born
of twenty years of ceaseless intriguing," Marie went to
work on his feeble mind and won him over.

Her best weapon was Gaston's jealousy of his brilliant
cousin. Both were Princes of the Blood and of equal
rank, but Gaston was a political nonentity while Conde
was Generalissimo and the popular idol of France.
Marie fanned this smouldering grievance into a flame and
convinced Gaston that the removal of Conde would
leave him the most influential figure in the Kingdom.

Anne, Mazarin and Gaston were at length convinced
that Conde should be imprisoned, but it was more easily
said than done. The army would rise in defence of their
General and the House of Bourbon-Conde was too
strong to be tackled with impunity. Better never
attempt it than fumble. To be successful the arrest must
be a complete surprise, with no opportunity for defence
or rescue.

Only seventeen people were in the secret and, for a
wonder, it was not revealed. Beaufort was excluded
from the inner circle. He was notoriously indiscreet and
was still a slave to the charms of Madame de Montbazon,
who was incapable of keeping a secret.

As a first step, Conde was tricked into signing the
order for the miUtary escort. No troops could be moved
without his signature but Mazarin suavely informed him
that a plot had been discovered against his (Conde's)
life. He said that the guilty parties were to be imprisoned
secretly and Conde obligingly signed an order for troops
to be at a certain rendezvous to escort an indefinite
number of unnamed prisoners to Vincennes.

3o8 MARIE DE ROHAN

Next, the order for the arrest must be signed by
Gaston. When the time came, he was overwhelmed by
liis usual panic and tried to run away. He was caught
between the leaves of a door and held there wliile pen
and paper were pushed into his hand.

Every detail was planned in advance, every con-
tingency provided for. When the time came for the
actual arrests, everything went tlirough like clockwork.
One evening in January, Conde, Conti and de Longue-
ville were picked up separately, brought to a rendezvous
outside Paris and ordered into a closed coach. The
military escort closed about them, and they were driven
under cover of darkness to Vincennes. Before Paris
knew what had happened, they were safely ensconced
behind high stone walls. Anne spent the critical hours
devoutly praying in her oratory. Gaston fidgeted about
with his hands in his pockets, w^iistling doleful ditties.
When news came that everytliing had gone well, he
cheered up immensely. " That was a good haul," he
said complacently. " We have taken a bear, a monkey
and a fox."

Opinions at Court and in the city were divided.
There was a good deal of excitement but it soon spent
itself in talk. Conde had made himself so unpopular
that the Parisians felt no obligation to take up arms in
his behalf. The family rose in wrath, but it would take
time to organize their forces. As an additional pre-
caution, the Princes were moved from Vincennes, which
was close to Paris, to the gloomy fortress of Havre.
There they remained for a year wliile the Frondeurs
profited by their absence.

It should not be imagined for a moment that the
Frondeurs were in politics for their healdi, or that they
were actuated by any altruistic motives. Before engaging

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 309

to rid Mazarin of his troublesome thorn in the flesh,
they had bargained long and shrewdly. Each of the
seventeen in the secret was to be rewarded in a practical
manner. De Retz was to be recommended for a Car-
dinal's hat, an honour which he craved inordinately.
Marie, as usual, asked a boon for someone else. Her
share of the proceeds was the restoration to favour of
Chateauneuf, who seemed to be permanently on her
conscience. As Cousin says : " In all her aberrations,
she retained this remnant of honour, that when she loved,
she loved with unbounded fidelity, and after the passion
died away she maintained for its object an inviolate
friendship."

Chateauneuf was promised his old office of Keeper of
the Seals, but it was not until July that Seguier resigned
in his favour. De Retz fared even worse. So far from
supporting liis application for the Cardinalate, Mazarin
was secretly working against it. He had been ready to
promise anything and everything to rid himself of
Conde. Once the Princes, through the efforts of the
Fronde leaders, were safely cooped up behind stone
walls, he thought better of it. This double-dealing, so
characteristic of him, was to prove disastrous. It cost
him the support of Madame de Chevreuse, de Retz and
the Fronde, just when he needed it most.

The sudden arrest of the heads of the House of Conde
had found the family unprepared. It was not long,
however, before they had risen to the occasion. With
the men imprisoned, die women flung themselves into
the breach. The old Dowager Duchess, almost at the
end of her long life, came to Paris and besieged Court
and Parliament with pleas. Conde's wife, a frail retiring
little woman, took her son and boldly rode to Bordeaux.
Sitting on her horse like an Amazon, with the banner

3IO MARIE DE ROHAN

of the House floating above her, she called on the city
to rise in defence of its feudal lord.

Meanwliile the Duchess e de Longueville fled to Nor-
mandy and raised an army of her husband's tenants.
When threatened with arrest herself she dressed as a
man, and took ship for Holland. She was shipwrecked,
half-drowned, rescued and finally reached the Nether-
lands. There she met Turenne, who was in command
of a royal army. She won him over to the cause of her
brothers and joined him at the head of his troops. The
militant lovers went further and recruited the very
Spanish forces against which Turenne had lately been
fighting.

Bouillon, always delighted at the thought of a re-
bellion, stirred up trouble in Guienne and Champagne
before joining the Duchesse de Conde at Bordeaux and,
in Poitou, a contingent was raised for " The Army of
Release."

At once the whole country was aflame. Anne with
Mazarin and the little King marched ofl" at the head of a
royal army to besiege Bordeaux. Beliind them Turenne
and Madame de Longueville threatened the border with
their Spanish allies. Small battles were fought but the
General and his lady love were evidently not con-
centrating on military operations. Love was too
engrossing to leave them time to press their attack. In
the midst of it all the old dowager died in Paris, sending
a final message to her daughter, " that poor foolish
woman at Stenay."

There were fine doings in the Provinces, with women
careering about the country like Amazons, wearing
armour, leading armies, appointing themselves generals.
Madame de Longueville and the Duchesse de Conde both
took the field and the royal banner of France flew over

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 3II

the tent from wliich Anne watched her troops do battle.
Anne de Gonzague, Princess Palatine, was racing about
France disguised as a page, vainly trying to catch the
Archbishop of Rheims with whom she was infatuated.
La Grande Mademoiselle was not going to miss any of
the fun, and set out with her friend, the Countess de
Frontenac. While the husband of the latter lady was
holding New France against the Iroquois, liis wife was
making herself gloriously conspicuous in the vicinity of
Orleans, where she and La Grande Mademoiselle made
their way into the city via the moat. From Paris Gaston
wrote to these two harmless lunatics, addressing his
letters " A Mesdames les Marechales-de-Camp, dans
FArmee contre Mazarin.'*

It will be noticed that he called it " the army against
Mazarin." The nobles on both sides kept up the poHte
fiction that they were fighting loyally to rescue their
King from the thraldom of the Italian usurper. Wliile
Anne and Mazarin were attempting with small success
to quell this hydra-headed monster of sedition, matters
were becoming complicated in Paris. The Cardinal's
failure to keep his compact with the leaders of the Fronde
had turned their friendship into enmity and they took
advantage of his absence to stir up new trouble at home.

He had left the affairs of State in the hands of a council
composed of Gaston, Chateauneuf, de Retz, etc. Marie,
still determined to compensate Chateauneuf for all his
sufferings, backed him up in his attempts to supplant
Mazarin as Minister of State. With that end in view she
worked on Gaston, urging him to proclaim himself
Regent and dismiss Mazarin. It was a splendid oppor-
tunity but Monsieur shrank from any decisive action.
While he dithered, his associates gave him up as hopeless
and looked elsewhere for a leader.

312 MARIE DE ROHAN

Mazarin was tottering, and a single concerted effort
would push him from liis exalted perch. A strong man
w^as needed and Conde seemed the obvious person. If
he could be induced to co-operate with the Fronde,
success was assured. A year before, Marie de Chevreuse
had been instrumental in having him imprisoned. Now
she decided to have him released.

Many attempts had been made to effect the escape of
the prisoners but each had been discovered or betrayed.
Marie was all in favour of direct action. Friends could
bribe guards, the Conde women could call out armies
and raise a dust in tlie Provinces. Madame la Duchesse
de Chevreuse had no faith in such hit-or-miss efforts.
She was a politician and a champion log-roller. Once
convinced that Conde would play ball with her and
her friends, she would free him by constitutional
methods.

That winter, while the '* Army of Release " was
ravaging France without effecting anything else, negotia-
tions were quietly going on between the Princes and the
Fronde, with the Princess Palatine as go-between.
Letters were smuggled in and out as though prison walls
were figments of the imagination. After much writing
back and forth and haggling about terms a treaty was
formally signed, dated January 30, 165 1. In this extra-
ordinary document it was agreed that the little Duke
d'Engliien, Conde's son, should marry one of Gaston's
daughters by his second wife, and that Marie's daughter,
Charlotte Marie de Lorraine, should wed the Prince de
Conti. De Retz was to have liis cherished Cardinal's hat
and Chateauneuf be made Prime Minister in place of
Mazarin, who was consigned to outer darkness. Beau-
fort was assigned the Admiralty for wliich he had been
clamouring so long and 2\Iadame de Montbazon was

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 313

granted a gratuity of 90,000 crowns on condition that
she kept her lover in line.

The political importance of this treaty cannot be over-
estimated. It united Gaston and Conde and healed the
breach between the two great rival houses of Guise-
Lorraine and Bourbon-Conde. For the first time the
noblesse and the Fronde presented a solid front and
could act in concert against Mazarin. Incidentally the
treaty made Conde the most powerful man in the king-
dom. It put him at the head of a party composed of all
the most active political and aristocratic factions in
France and arranged for matrimonial alliances that would
make the combine permanent. Most important of all,
for Conde, it brought over to his side the woman who
had been his most effective opponent. To quote Victor
Cousin : *' By this treaty, Madame de Chevreuse brought
to Conde the finest mind in the Fronde, audacious in the
scope of her schemes, consummate in experience ; and
gave him the support of three powerful families, de
Rohan, de Luynes and Lorraine."

At the last moment Gaston once again endangered the
whole arrangement by refusing to sign the paper. His
eccentricities, however, were well known. He was
locked into a room and kept there until he had put his
signature to the treaty.

Once in possession of this astounding document, de
Retz went before the Parliament and formally demanded
the release of the Princes. The deputies endorsed his
petition and passed it on to the Queen. It was the last
straw. The whole country was in a turmoil. Turenne
and his Spaniards were advancing from the east, and
now Paris had turned against her. Hitherto, Mazarin
had contrived to keep the opposition divided against
itself. Now, thanks to the organizing ability of Marie

314 MARIE DE ROHAN

de Chevreuse, all the parties opposed to liim were united.
He bowed to the inevitable and prepared to flee from
France. In the face of such overwhelming strength
arrayed against her, Atme was forced to let Mm go and
agreed meekly to the release of the Princes.

Mazarin set out for the border but in a last effort to
save something from the wreck of his career, he asked
Anne to give him the order for the release of the pri-
soners. Armed with this, he went to Havre. With
smiling suavity, he announced to the Princes that they
were free and tried to convey the impression that it was
due to his own tireless efforts. To liis great chagrin
Conde received his ingratiating remarks with derisive
laughter and treated him Uke a lackey. The Princes had
been informed of each step in the negotiations for their
release and knew exactly what part the Cardinal had
played.

The three Princes travelled south in state while the
crestfallen Cardinal made his way over the border into
Germany. Wild with joy at his fall, the mob wrecked
his house, plundered his possessions and swamped Paris
beneath a flood of obscene pamphlets.

Life without Mazarin was so unbearable to Anne that
she decided to join him. " All for love and the world
well lost." Better exile in Germany with her lover than
a throne in France. She had actually made her pre-
parations for flight, when Marie warned de Retz. He
passed the warning on to Parliament wliich was deter-
mined to keep their King in Paris. A close guard was
set around the Palais Royal. Coaches and wagons passing
out through the gates were stopped and searched. A
delegation of deputies even forced its way into the royal
nursery to make sure that the King had not been spirited
away. Anne was forced to stand meekly by wliile the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 315

citizens filed solemnly past the bed where the royal child
lay sleeping.

After that humiliating experience, Anne gave up all
thought of flight and resigned herself to an existence
only made bearable by daily letters. She wrote exhaus-
tive accounts of the daily happenings, wliile Mazarin
from his refuge at Cologne dictated her policy and gave
her reams of good advice. Some of it dealt with the
general welfare of France, but the greater part was
devoted to the manoeuvres necessary to bring about his
own recall.

The combine between Conde and Gaston, with Marie
de Chevreuse in support, was the most pressing danger
and he urged Anne at all costs to break up the proposed
marriages. " The safety of the State and of Their
Majesties," he wrote, " depends on the disunion of the
Princes, since Their said Majesties, by choosing which-
ever of the two they judge most suitable, could dictate
the law to the other, and could work with some
promise of success for the re-estabUshment of the royal
authority."

Anne did her best by refusing her consent to the
betrothals but a trifle like that was not likely to deter
either Conde or Marie de Chevreuse. There were other
forces at work wliich disrupted the entente cordiak. Marie
had the mind of a statesman and had built up a combine
that could have controlled France. It was wrecked by
the megalomania of Conde and the senseless jealousy of
two women.

Lavallee, in his '* Historic de France " writes : *' When
the ladies chose to play a part in politics they brought
into public affairs their sordid passions, narrow views
and frivolous ideas." Unfortunately for Marie de
Chevreuse, his statement is correct.

3l6 MARIE DE ROHAN

The Duchesse de ^Slontbazon started the trouble. She
had always resented her step-daughter's greater popu-
larity and prestige. Now she was jealous of Charlotte
Marie w^ho was by way of being the belle of the Fronde.
She even announced in public that she " could not under-
stand what de Retz saw in that old woman who was more
wicked than the devil and the daughter who was as
foolish as her mother was wicked." She had cheerfully
pocketed the 90,000 crowns allotted to her in the treaty
but her spiteful malice drove her to wreck the whole
scheme.

Once before Madame de Montbazon had stirred up a
satisfactory scandal by handing around some love letters.

With lamentable lack of originality she repeated her
tactics. This time the billets-doux purported to be
written by Charlotte to the Duke de Noirmoutiers.
They were salacious epistles, most unseemly as coming
from the pen of a ""jeime fille bien e levee J" Probably
Madame la Duchesse wrote them herself but Charlotte
had been somewhat indiscreet in her flirtations and there
were grounds for gossip.

There was much whispering in boudoirs, many broad
hints dropped at the clubs but it was the egregious
Gaston who brought the whole thing out into the open.
It was to liis interest to see that the terms of the treaty
were carried out, but he could never resist the oppor-
tunity to make a smutty joke. With his penchant for
calling a spade an adjectival shovel he credited Charlotte
with having shared her favours between de Retz,
Noirmoutiers and a certain Caumartin.

The Coadjutor played a curious part in the affair. In
theory, he was in favour of the match and professed to
be working for it. In actual fact, he was in love with
Mademoiselle himself and shrank from seeing her the

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 317

bride of the feeble-minded Conti. His conduct was
ambiguous, to say the least, and on several occasions he
implied, with a gratified smirk, that he had robbed the
Prince of the privilege of " les premiers noces.'"

While society was athrill with this latest scandal,
Anne struck another blow at the entente. Without
warning she took the Seals away from Chateauneuf and
gave them to Mathew Mole. This sudden action was
probably dictated from Cologne but Anne had never
liked Chateauneuf and regarded him as Mazarin's most
dangerous departmental rival. A few weeks later, she
could have dismissed liim with impunity. As it was, she
found herself facing an angry deputation of Frondeurs,
demanding the instant re-instatement of Chateauneuf.

Conde, Gaston, de Retz, Beaufort, Rochefoucauld and
a few other leaders of the Fronde had been in conference
at the Hotel de Chevreuse when they received the news
of Chateauneuf's dismissal. They had sprung to the
rescue at once and were so vigorous in their protests that
the bewildered Mole in turn was dismissed. Seguier,
however, got the Seals, leaving Chateauneuf in the cold.

This was perhaps the last concerted action taken by
the group involved in the treaty. The combine was
already on the verge of dissolution, and it was the
Duchesse de Longueville who finally wrecked it.

As Cousin says : " Madame de Longueville had none
of the good judgment, the sagacity and the consummate
tact that made Madame de Chevreuse one of the great
politicians of the age." In the last analysis, Anne-
Genevieve was a highly-sexed woman with a mania for
notoriety. Jealousy blinded her to practical considera-
tions and drove her to destroy a constructive scheme
which would have insured the supremacy of her
family.

3l8 MARIEDEROHAN

After all her Amazonian adventures in the Provinces,
it was doubtless annoying to find that another woman
had been responsible for the release of her brothers.
There was also, perhaps, a reluctance to see her beloved
Conti married to a pretty girl with whom he was already
half in love. Until now Conti had always adored his
sister to the exclusion of all other women, and she was
loath to see him escaping from her. That may explain
her savage opposition to the proposed match. In any
case, she threw the whole weight of her influence against
it. Bits of gossip picked up in various drawing-rooms
were repeated to her lordly elder brother with disastrous
results.

Conde made inquiries for himself and found plenty of
kind friends eager to tell him of the scandals going about.
Monseigneur informed his brother coldly that the
marriage would not take place. Conti had been much
attracted to his cheerful young fiancee but was helpless
before the combined wills of Conde and Anne-Genevieve.

Tactless as ever, Conde did not trouble to consult the
bride's parents. He merely informed his friends that he
had reconsidered the matter of his brother's marriage.
The news spread like wildfire and quickly reached the
ears of Madame de Chevreuse. At once she took the
initiative and suggested to Conde that the arrangement
should be cancelled. To friends who came to inquire
and commiserate, she said with a careless shrug : " Pro-
mises made in prison are never meant to be kept."
Charlotte laughed and treated the affair as an amusing
episode, but society was all agog over the jilting of
Mademoiselle de Chevreuse. One chatty soul wrote to
Mazarin : " You cannot imagine the disorder and con-
fusion that have resulted. All the pride and glory of
the House are fled. The fair Princess must turn her

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 319

thoughts to a convent rather than to a husband. No
suitor can now present himself and in this matter she
may well be pitied."

The writer's pathetic picture does more credit to his
imagination than to his foresight. Charlotte had not the
slightest intention of retiring to a convent and Marie de
Chevreuse was not the woman to sit on the ground in
sackcloth and ashes, bewailing her fate. Not even Prince
Louis de Bourbon-Conde liimself could insult her
daughter and go unpunished.

In a quiet business-like way that boded no good for
her enemy, Marie went on the war-path against the man
who had not thought Charlotte good enough for his
half-witted brother. She had released Conde from
prison, lined up an immensely strong party for him, put
the whole game in his hands. In return, he had insulted
her daughter and broken his pledged word. From now
on it was a duel a routrance^ without quarter and without
mercy. Before Marie laid down her arms she had seen
Conde a fugitive and a traitor, fighting against his own
country under the banner of Spain.

On April 17 the engagement was broken off. On
April 20 Marie wrote to a friend in Cologne : " I beg you
to acquaint the Cardinal with all speed that in the present
state of affairs at Court there is an opportunity of serving
him by means which are apparent, provided that he bids
the Queen place confidence in me, and that he keeps the
secret to himself. The Cardinal can rest assured of being
well-served."

Marie was going back to Mazarin and the Queen but
she was not going alone. Like a skilled politician, she
manipulated her party, moving them hither and thither
on the political chess-board as occasion arose. In 1650,
she brought the Fronde over to Mazarin and checked

320 MARIE DE ROHAN

Conde. The next year, she gave the Fronde to Conde
and drove out Mazarin. Six months later we find her
returning to her allegiance to Anne, bringing with her
the formidable group she controlled. From then on she
never wavered and ended her political career as she had
begun it, the friend and supporter of Anne of Austria.

Mazarin grasped eagerly at the olive-branch so un-
expectedly extended to him. He was weary of his lonely
exile and longed to regain his mastery over France and
its Queen. In Marie and de Retz he saw the only two
people who could bring about his recall. Without a
moment's delay he wrote to Anne, directing her to
become reconciled with Madame la Duchesse and to be
guided by her in everything. The Queen obediently
summoned Marie to her side, greeted her with the old
happy intimacy and assured her that all past inisunder-
standings were forgotten. As a proof of her sincerity,
Chateauneuf was recalled and, for the third or fourth
time, made Keeper of the Seals.

De Retz shared in the sudden burst of enthusiasm.
He was so elated by the warmth of his reception that he
took it as a tribute to his personal charms. With renewed
ardour he wooed his royal mistress but was forced to
admit defeat. Mazarin was out of the way, but his
absence only made Anne's heart grow fonder. The
Coadjutor recorded liis defeat in his diary with the
pungent comment : " The benefice was unoccupied but
it was not vacant " an ecclesiastical technicality that is
not worth elucidation.

The rapprochement between the Court and the Fronde
was duly recognized in a secret treaty that proved
mutually advantageous. The Frondeurs promised to
work for the return of Mazarin as soon as it should be
politic and advisable. In the meantime, Chateauneuf was

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 32I

to be acting Prime Minister on the understanding that
he siiould have the highest place in the Cabinet after
Mazarin's return. Mole was given the Seals and de Retz
his Cardinal's hat. In return Marie and the Coadjutor
pledged their loyal and lasting support to Anne and
Mazarin. To bind the bargain, Charlotte Marie was
betrothed to the Cardinal's nephew, Phillippe de Mancini,
who was to be made a Peer of France with the title of
Duke de Nevers. So much for the pessimists who con-
fidently consigned Mademoiselle to a convent.

No sooner had the treaty been signed than Marie
gave evidence of her good faith. She persuaded Charles
of Lorraine to sign a formal pledge to support the
royalist cause, and capped that by bringing Gaston back
into the fold. This left Conde standing alone.

The break-up of the Conde-Chevreuse combine threw
society into a turmoil with everything at loose ends.
The marriage between Gaston's daughter and the Duke
d'Enghien was now broken off. Deprived of any
organized support, bereft of the sagacious counsel of
Marie de Chevreuse, Conde was all at sea. He celebrated
by antagonizing some of his friends and making a few
more enemies.

On the battle-field, Conde was one of the greatest
generals of all time. Swift to see an opportunity, swifter
to act, he constantly caught his opponents off guard.
Without being a profound strategist, he had initiative,
brilliance and that quality of leadership that inspires an
army to deeds of incredible valour. To his men he was
a hero, almost a god. To his officers he was a variety
of things, none of them fit to live with. His staff was
constantly changing as quarrels drove the gentleman-
cadets away, and his tactless insolence alienated other
generals with whom he should have co-operated.

322 MARIE DE ROHAN

In peace time he showed this same cantankerous spirit.
Some contrary demon seemed to take possession of liim
and he would go out of his way to tread heavily on the
corns of the very men who should at all costs have been
conciliated. He had quarrelled with the Queen, quar-
relled with Mazarin, quarrelled with the Fronde and
topped it off by antagonizing Madame de Chevreuse.
In his sublime indiiference to public opinion he did not
realize his isolation until it was too late. So swiftly had
Marie acted, so skilfully had she worked that everytliing
was settled in a few weeks. Bewildered and incredulous,
Conde found that liis enemies were supreme at Court
while he was ignored. In a belated attempt to assert
himself he struck out bUndly, with the unfortunate
Chateauneuf as the target of his wrath.

With colossal impudence Conde went to the Queen
and demanded the dismissal of Chateauneuf for the simple
reason that he disliked him. Marie de Chevreuse count-
ered by demanding the arrest of Conde. It was only a
gesture of defiance but it made the General very uneasy
in his mind. He had already found to his cost that the
Duchesse could be a dangerous enemy and he was con-
scious of having given her every cause to hate him. To
be on the safe side, he withdrew with a small group of
intimates to the outskirts of Paris, and from there con-
tinued liis attacks on Chateauneuf. As an alternative he
threatened to raise the banner of revolt.

Rather than plunge the country into further civil war,
Anne decided to sacrifice the acting Minister of State.
She sent a courier to inform Conde that Chateauneuf
had been dismissed, but the bird had flown. In the
early dawn he had heard the trampling of hooves, the
rumble of wheels and voices calUng tlirough the morning
mist. Convinced that it was a troop of guards come to

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 323

arrest him, he leaped on his horse and rode away, very
much en deshabille. That evening everyone in Paris was
chuckling over a new and exquisite jest. The Great
Conde, idol of the army, hero of Rocroi and Lens, had
been put to flight by a few poultrymen bringing eggs to
market.

A trivial mistake drove Conde away from Paris. An
equally foolish error kept liim away. As soon as Anne
heard that he had gone, she sent an express courier after
him, offering terms that would have satisfied his demands.
Conde was at AngerN'^^t but the courier misread his
directions and went to AugervUle. By the time he
delivered his dispatches. Milord was already far from
Paris and said that it was not worth the trouble of going
back.

Fear of ridicule and childish petulance drove him into
open rebellion and plunged the country once again into
the horrors of civil war.

CHAPTER XIX

THE victory of the poultry men was in July. That
summer Conde sulked at St. Alaur and sought
consolation in the arms of the blonde Duchesse
de Chatillon. With liim were the Prince de Conti, the
Duke and Duchesse de Longueville, Turenne and his
brother, the Duke de Bouillon, Rochefoucauld, the
Duke de Nemours and a few other noble adherents.

Amid the sylvan glades of the Conde country estate
they wrote poetry, played at amateur theatricals, made
promiscuous love and indulged in a little desultory
conspiracy. In Paris the wits dubbed this group " Les
Incertains.''' Later this title was replaced by " hes Vetits-
Maitres " because they all, in their own small way,
wanted to be masters of France.

After frittering away most of the summer, Conde
betook himself to Guienne and raised the standard of
revolt. To show his defiance of the Queen, he scientific-
ally laid waste the fields of the helpless peasants and
then was annoyed by their reluctance to join his army.
He had counted on the prestige of his name to rouse the
Huguenots, but they too failed him. Appeals to Crom-
well in England were contemptuously ignored. The
Protector remarked on one occasion that the only man
in France he feared was de Retz. He had no interest in
the eccentric proceedings of young Conde. Only PhiUp
of Spain lent a sympathetic ear to Conde's appeal for
help. A treaty was signed by which Pliilip supplied a

324

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 325

few troops in exchange for the promise of certain
territories he coveted.

This was something to the good, but it was more than
counter-balanced by the defection of many of his French
colleagues. Tlie aged de Longueville, weary of all this
turbulence, retired to liis estates in Normandy. Madame
de Longueville remained, but she was worse than useless.
She had won Turenne over to her brother's cause in the
past, but now the bonds that held him were wearing
thin. His infatuation for the blue-eyed beauty was
already a thing of the past. Five years before the
Duchesse had been called the loveliest woman in France
and her aloof dignity had compelled respect. In the
rough and tumble of the Fronde, the bloom had been
rubbed off. Casual amours had smirched her chaste
beauty, and she showed signs of having inherited her
father's dislike for water, applied externally. With true
Gallic frankness, a contemporary wrote that she was still
beautiful but was not very clean and far from fragrant —
" malpropre et sentait maW

The tender memory of past delights might have tri-
umphed over present malodorousness, but the Duchesse
made no attempt to hold her former adorer. She was
after new game. Just when her brother had most need
of supporters, she abandoned Turenne and fell violently
in love with the Duke de Nemours. He, in turn was
enamoured of the blonde Chatillon who had caught the
roving eye of Conde. Conde sent Nemours to Flanders
to raise troops and took advantage of his absence to
steal his mistress. He bestowed on La Belle Chatillon
two rich abbeys, and she repaid him by '* giving him the
income of a property of which Nemours was the pro-
prietor."

No longer bound to Conde's cause by his affair with

326 MARIE DE ROHAN

Madame de Longueville, Turenne deserted him and
offered liis services to the Queen. With him went
Bouillon, disgusted by Conde's peevish insolence. The
Prince was thus left with his tenant army and a few
Spanish levies to face the royal army.

Even so, his unique miUtary genius made him more
than a match for the Queen's troops. At one point he
was within an ace of capturing the Queen herself and
was only prevented by the masterly tactics of Turenne,
so lately his ally. With a few thousand men on each side,
Conde, Turenne and Anne waltzed aimlessly around in
Guienne, accomplishing little but doing unlimited
damage. It has been estimated that during the Regency
of Anne more Frenchmen were killed by their com-
patriots than by foreign enemies.

Meanwliile, the leaders of the Fronde, secretly com-
mitted to the cause of Mazarin, informed him that the
time was ripe for his return. He suddenly appeared at
the border with an army of eight thousand men, armed,
equipped and paid out of his private purse. With drums
beating, flags flying and his men stepping boldly out in
fine green uniforms, the Cardinal marched triumphantly
through the country that had expelled him the year
before. Before him went a succession of swift couriers
keeping Anne informed of liis progress. *' I shall see you
in fifteen days," he writes jubilantly. " In saying that, I
am beside myself. Think what will happen when I see
the Queen. Believe me that I am yours to the last sigh."

Anne was so lost in contemplation of what would
probably happen that she spent days standing at a
window, her yearning eyes fixed on the horizon and her
expansive bosom heaving with emotion. Even in those
critical days the Court had many a quiet giggle over the
edifying sight of the stout Queen in love.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 327

The news of Mazarin's approach threw Paris into
hopeless confusion. ParUament met and, after hours and
hours of furious debate, issued an edict forbidding him
to come any further. While they talked, two men of
intelligence and initiative went out and tried to break
down a bridge over which the Cardinal's troops would
pass. The deputies suspended operations long enough
to indict the two for damaging public property. Then
they fell to talking again.

Perhaps the Machiavellian hand of de Retz can be
seen in the paralysis that overtook the Parliamentary
body. No action was taken, and Mazarin's troops
effected a meeting with the army of the Queen. The
combined forces now converged on the rebel Duke.

Finding himself outnumbered in Guienne, Conde
executed one of those brilliant, unexpected coups that
won him his title of " The Great." With a few sup-
porters he flung himself into Paris, barricaded the gates
and announced that he had come to protect the city from
the Italian tyrant. The Fronde leaders were much taken
aback by tliis sudden development and the more con-
servative citizens were aghast but the mob were strongly
in his favour. Beaufort organized the dregs of the
populace into " the Straw Army," so-called because they
wore wisps of straw in their caps in lieu of uniform.
With this rabble he terrorized the city and forced Parlia-
ment to fall in with Conde's wishes.

As Lord-Lieutenant of the kingdom, Gaston was
responsible for the government during the Queen's
absence. He should have taken some decisive action
but the sudden crisis reduced him to a state of futile
imbecility. He retired to bed, suffering from what de
Retz called " a diplomatic attack " and left Conde a
clear field.

328 MARIE DE ROHAN

Lord of all he surveyed, the Duke swaggered about,
declaring that he would defend Paris against Mazarin to
the last gasp. To strengthen his position, he sent for
Charles of Lorraine and his mercenaries. His own army
had by now come up and were encamped outside the
walls. The armies of Mazarin and the Queen occupied
the wooded slopes above Charenton, while Turenne
manoeuvred about in the vicinity. Duke Charles arrived
with his battalion, took up a strategic position among
the market-gardens and turned vegetarian.

The Lorrainer was the crux of the situation and his
intentions were a matter of acute interest to both parties.
Conde had paid him to come to his aid ; Mazarin paid
him more to go away. Charles cheerfully took money
from both sides and stayed where he was. There was
method in liis madness. He was very comfortable on
the fence and intended to stay there until he saw which
side had most chance of winning. In the meantime his
army was being fed free, gratis and for nothing on the
food supply of Paris. All day he sat at ease in his tent
playing the guitar and singing improper ballads. Conde
raved, Mazarin fussed and the citizens mournfully
watched their salads vanisliing beyond recall.

It was Marie de Chevreuse who solved the problem in
characteristic fasliion. Disguised as market-women
she and Charlotte made their way to the Lorrainer' s
camp. Charles greeted his old love with enthusiasm
and played the part of a romantic cavalier without a
serious thought in his head. " Let us dance, Madame.
It is far more becoming to you than talking politics.'*

Marie was not to be put off with airy persiflage. She
knew her man, knew what she wanted and knew how to
get it. In a very short time she had reasserted her old
sway over his volatile mind and reduced liim to a proper

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 329

State of obedience. The next morning he dressed in
feminine attire, sHpped through the gates with the
market-women and met Marie at Chateauneuf's house.
There he signed an agreement to leave France immedi-
ately. With Mazarin's money in one pocket, Conde's in
another and a baggage train piled high with plunder,
he led his men away, leaving Conde stranded.

The desertion of Lorraine was a blow to Conde. Still
more harm was done to his cause by his own insolence
and lack of tact. His sudden entry into the city had
given him the advantage and he had a strong weapon in
the universal hatred of Mazarin. Beaufort had given
him the mob and it would have been easy to win over the
influential citizens by the exercise of a little diplomacy.
Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.
Conde's behaviour at this critical stage in his career can
hardly be called rational.

The deputies, like all legislators, were imbued with a
deep sense of their own importance and did not like to
be hurried. Conde would march into the Hotel de Ville,
brush aside their courteous greetings and lay down the
law with the air of a victorious general addressing a
conquered people. He wished it clearly understood that
he was the master and would brook no opposition.
Some deputies who dared to question his commands
were beaten in the streets and the mob broke a number
of legal heads.

Conde wished to be proclaimed Regent and Protector
of the young King. Parliament demurred at such a
proposal and contented themselves with attacking
Mazarin. They denounced liim as the enemy of the
State and offered a reward of ten thousand francs for his
capture, alive or dead. To raise the necessary sum, they
sold the Cardinal's own library. Paris was enchanted by

330 MARIE DE ROHAN

this extraordinary edict. Not for generations had anyone
had a price put on his head. The wits placarded the town
with notices offering so many francs for cutting off the
Cardinal's nose, so many for his ears and a larger sum
for depriving him of what he doubtless treasured most
highly.

No one took the proclamation seriously except Maz-
arin himself. With visions of being made a eunuch to
amuse the young sparks of Paris, he urged the young
King to take action. Louis formally abolished the
Parliament of Paris and called on the loyal deputies to
meet at Pontoise. A few obeyed the summons. The
rest continued to function at the Hotel de Ville. Two
Parliaments were now in existence, each busily occupied
in cancelling the edicts of the other.

The Parisian Chamber felt the King's order as a blow
to their prestige and held Conde responsible. De Retz
stiffened their resistance to the Duke's demands while
Beaufort's rabble kept Paris in a turmoil. To add to the
confusion the young nobles brawled in the streets and
fought duels after every drunken debauch. Beaufort
killed the Duke de Nemours in a duel and two of the
seconds in the affair were mortally wounded. Even
Conde himself was almost involved in an " affair of
honour." He and the Count de Reuil boxed each other's
ears in public but Gaston put the Count in the Bastille
and the matter was allowed to drop.

For the second time the King and his mother were
encamped in the suburbs, while Paris manned its walls
against them. This time, however, Conde was inside
and the Parisians were not at all sure that they wanted
him there. He made tilings altogether too difficult.
Distracted by riots, bullied by Conde, harangued by
de Retz, harassed by the rival Parliament at Pontoise,

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 33I

the deputies were at their wits' end. Wiiile they argued
and debated in agonies of indecision, the reckless im-
patience of Conde drove him into a crime against
humanity and common sense.

He called a full meeting of the deputies and, for the
last time, ordered them to accede to his wishes. When
they hesitated, he shouted something to the effect that
they should be taught a lesson and stamped out. No
sooner had he emerged than the Hotel de Ville became
the centre of a howling mob. Shots rang out from
loop-holes ready-cut in nearby houses, and some of the
deputies were shot down as they came out. Smoke
began to curl from the windows and in a few minutes
the whole building was a mass of flames. The stout
stone walls resisted the fire but the inside was a furnace
with all the exits guarded by the straw-decked mob.

La Grande Mademoiselle was an emotional creature.
She was one of Conde's most enthusiastic supporters
but the sight of the trapped deputies yelling for help
from the upper windows roused her facile sympathies.
She rushed to the Tuileries for help but found her father
ambling about with liis hands in his pockets, a prey to
his usual helpless indecision. He only wliistled nervously
when she described the plight of the deputies. In
despair she turned to Conde, but His Highness was
pleased to be humorous *' The mob are so rough," he
murmured in a deprecating voice. '* I really do not like
to interfere ; I have always been such a timid man."

At last Mademoiselle found Beaufort and dragged him
off to the scene of the catastrophe. The appearance of
their two popular idols soon changed the temper of the
rabble. They fell to work extinguishing the fire and
rescued the terrified deputies — at a price. When the
panic was over inquiries were made and revealed the

332 MARIE DE ROHAN

fact that Conde's confidential valet had led the mob.
All the evidence pointed to the Duke as the instigator of
the massacre, and his stock in Paris sank to zero.

Thick-skinned and indifferent to public opinion as he
was, Conde was forced to realize that his presence in
Paris was no longer desired. Loudly declaring that the
place was a hornet's nest of Mazarinites, he withdrew
the light of his countenance from the relieved city and
joined his army outside the walls. A few days later,
on July 2, he was attacked by Turenne.

Outnumbered and outmanoeuvred, Conde was beaten
back and made his last stand at the Porte St. Antoine.
For hours he and a gallant little band of survivors fought
with their backs to the gate and stood off the onslaught
of the royalist army. The Duke himself fought like a
man possessed, and a ring of corpses marked the scene
of that last stand. He was at his last gasp when La
Grande Mademoiselle came to the rescue.

During the battle she had been hysterical with excite-
ment and kept begging her father to rescue Conde from
his perilous predicament. Gaston could not make up
his mind. As de Retz says : " He walked about the
palace uncertain of his course. He was alarmed by the
firing, afraid to relieve Conde, afraid to leave him un-
relieved, and whistled every tune he had ever heard in
the Place Royale." Despairing of any help from him.
Mademoiselle finally nagged her father into giving her
a blank order with his signature. Armed with this, she
went to the Bastille and called for volunteers to help the
Duke. The response was nil, but in her excited state
Mademoiselle felt herself the equal of a whole army
corps. She dashed to the parapet, trained a cannon on
the royal standard that floated over the King's tent and
fired. As the cannon ball whistled over the tent and

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 333

crashed into the camp behind, Mazarin remarked grimly :
" That shot killed a husband."

It did indeed put an end to all Mademoiselle's hopes of
marrying her royal cousin, but she was past caring. She
had by now conceived a mad infatuation for Conde and
fully intended to marry him as soon as his wife should
be obliging enough to die. Abandoning her cannon,
she rushed to the Porte St. Antoine, showed her order,
and commanded the officer on guard to open the gate.
Conde reeled inside with his few remaining comrades.
The gates clanged shut again in the face of Turenne's
pursuing army and Conde was saved.

Covered with dust and blood, black with powder and
hoarse with exhaustion, Conde was a terrifying spectacle.
His comrades were in even worse case. Most of them
were wounded. Rochefoucauld, among others, had
received a sword-cut over the eye that made him blind
for months. Outside the gate were hundreds of corpses,
slain in that futile and bloody struggle. The flower of
French nobility lay trampled in the dust, and among
them was the sixteen-year old Phillippe de Mancini, the
fiance of Charlotte Marie de Lorraine.

The Battle of Porte St. Antoine, desperate as it was,
left the situation almost unchanged. The royalist army
had been victorious but could not enter Paris. Conde's
army had been cut to pieces, but he was alive and within
the walls. He still had a small clique in Parliament
who were willing, at a price, to look after liis interests.
From the Hotel de Ville came a proclamation making
Gaston Dictator, appointing Conde Generalissimo, and
ordering the banishment of Mazarin. From Pontoise
came edicts reversing those of Paris but agreeing that
the Cardinal should be sent from the kingdom. The fate
of the Minister was the only thing on which all parties

334 MARIE DE ROHAN

were agreed. As Voltaire says : *' Hatred of Mazarin
had become the essential duty of every Frencliman.'*

With the blind obstinacy of infatuation, Anne would
have clung to her lover in the face of all France, but the
young King took command of the situation. He was
now fourteen years old and already showed a statesman-
like grasp of essentials. Since Mazarin was the stumbling-
block in the way of peace he must be sacrificed, for the
time being, to the popular clamour. Louis was bent on
restoring law and order to his turbulent realm. For four
years he had led a life of acute and undignified dis-
comfort. He had been driven from pillar to post and
had frequently, in the course of his nomadic existence,
found himself without fire, bedding or sufficient food.

Louis decided that one could have too much of that
sort of thing. It must stop. He was King of France and
intended to enjoy his royal prerogatives. He had, after
all, little reason to love the Cardinal. Like his father
before him, Louis had been kept in the background
while an ItaUan favourite made love to his mother and
usurped supreme power. La Porte in his memoirs even
accuses Mazarin of taking a most unseemly advantage of
his position as unofficial step-father. Along sexual lines
Mazarin would appear to have belonged to the Italian
school.

Whether from personal or political motives, Louis
yielded to the wishes of his people. A royal edict was
issued, banishing Mazarin from France but paying a
gracious tribute to his past services. Hardly had he
reached the border when a joyful delegation waited on
His Majesty. The King was begged to return to Paris
and assured of whole-hearted allegiance from all classes.
In October Louis XIV and Anne entered the city in state
amid the frenzied acclamations of the populace. The

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 335

King had come to his own again and the Fronde was
over.

The banishment of Mazarin deprived Conde of his last
excuse for rebelUon. From being the romantic leader
of a lost cause, he found himself in the embarrassing
position of having no cause to fight for and no followers
to lead. He had alienated all but a few personal ad-
herents, and the waverers were caught up in the great
wave of loyalty that was sweeping the country.

He could still have tendered his submission to the
King but his stiif neck would not bow to the inevitable.
As Louis approached Paris, Conde fled southwards.
When next heard of, he was fighting under the banner
of Spain, the country he had fought against so success-
fully. Possessed by the twin devils of pride and ambition
he had rushed down the Gadarene slope of sedition into
the black sea of treason. The rest of France, freed from
the madness that had afflicted it, returned to normal.
Peace was restored and the hot-headed extravagances of
the Fronde seemed like the pointless lunacies of a night-
mare.

In dealing with his rebellious people, Louis showed
rare sagacity and tempered justice with mercy. His
great aim was to restore normal conditions and he con-
tented himself with banishing from Paris those ring-
leaders who had been most prominent in the recent
disturbances. Gaston, stripped of all his titles and offices,
was sent to his estates at Blois. Thanks to the fortune
of La Grande Mademoiselle, her father was enabled to
live in luxurious ease with his hypochrondriacal wife and
bevy of daughters. The hysterical heroine of the
BastiUe, whose prowess with the cannon was still
fresh in the King's mind, was also banished to the
country.

33^ MARIE DE ROHAN

She amused herself at first by corresponding with
Conde and toyed with the idea of financing a rebellion
to restore him to power. A curt warning from the King
dampened her ardour, and Mademoiselle fell back on
less dangerous diversions. She kept a voluminous diary
which was later expanded into her memoirs. A series of
imaginary love affairs filled her mind, and she weighed
carefully the claims of all the crowned heads of Europe,
single or married. Finally, when over forty. La Grande
Mademoiselle fell violently in love with a penniless
young Gascon adventurer named Lauzun, who married
her for her money. He was dismissed from Court for
liiding under Madame de Montespan's bed to listen in
on the royal transports and left his infatuated wife the
poorer for their short romance. So, sighing and an-
guishing. La Grande Mademoiselle passes from the stage.

Beaufort, the fair-haired King of the Markets, was
deprived of his offices and exiled. The Duchess e de
Montbazon, the person chiefly to blame for his activities,
was banished from Court.

De Retz was treated with more severity than his
colleagues but he brought his fate on liimself. He alone
seemed unwilling to accept the new order of things and
showed signs of readiness to foment new disturbances.
Partly as punishment for past offences, partly as insur-
ance against future trouble, Louis clapped the demagogue
into prison. Cardinal's hat and all, he was left to cool
his heels behind stone walls until he could learn wisdom.
Some years later, with the help of the Duke de Brissac,
he escaped and wandered about Europe, a dissatisfied
exile. During those years he wrote the piquant memoirs
that give us such a vivid picture of his times.

Another Frondeur whose presence was dispensed with
was Chateauneuf. Shortly after the return of the Court

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 337

to Paris he was dismissed from office and sent to vegetate
in liis native province. It was liis final exit from tiie
political stage and the death blow to his ambitions.
Always, in the past, Marie de Chevreuse had come to the
rescue and had intrigued to restore liim to power. This
time she watched his dismissal with indifference. A
blow had just fallen on her, beside which everything else
faded into insignificance.

Of all the ring-leaders of the Fronde, Marie de Chev-
reuse alone had retained her power and prestige. She
had emerged from the struggle, not only unscathed but
with enhanced reputation. By her handling of Charles
of Lorraine in June, she had done much to bring about
the fall of Conde, and she had been deep in the royal
councils during the last few months of the Fronde. On
the return of the Court, she took her old place at the
Queen's side and was treated with the same friendly
intimacy as of yore. It was the reward of victory and a
tribute to her political prowess.

From her exalted place beside the throne she could
survey with amused complacence a battle-field from
which her enemies had fled in disorder. The long duel
with the House of Conde had resulted in a complete
triumph. The Duke liimself was in Spain, a discredited
traitor. Madame de Longueville had retired into a con-
vent. The old Dowager-Duchess was dead, and the
clan, as a whole, demoralized and weakened. The insult
to Charlotte had been well and truly avenged.

The Fronde, wliile a triumph for Marie de Chevreuse,
had played havoc with her daughter's matrimonial
prospects. Political rivalry had upset the match with the
Prince de Conti and the battle of Porte St. Antoine had
resulted in the death of another prospective husband.
Marie was about to plunge for the third time into the

338 MARIE DE ROHAN

matrimonial market when a tragedy occurred wliich was
to write finis to all her schemes.

On November 7, Charlotte complained of feeling ill.
That night she died in violent convulsions and a few
hours later her body turned a livid black. All the
evidence pointed to poison, but the guilty person was
never discovered. It may have been some jealous rival,
envious of the girl's radiant youth. The blow may have
been aimed at ^larie by some political opponent. Char-
lotte may even have taken the poison herself, either by
accident or in a fit of depression. The mystery remains
unsolved to this day.

The death of Charlotte, as sudden as it was tragic, was
a blow from which Marie de Chevreuse never recovered.
It killed all her vivid interest in intrigue, much of her
joie de vivre. The two had been more like sisters than
mother and daughter. Together they had shared the
perils of the escape to England, the hardships of exile
and the joy of return. Together they had engaged in the
intrigues of the Fronde and laughed at its humorous
incidents. For Charlotte's sake Marie had made the
alliance with the Princes. To avenge her she had driven
Conde from France. Now it all seemed futile and the
fruits of victory turned to dust and ashes in her mouth.

Sunk in the depths of gloom, Marie heard of the
imprisonment of de Retz, the banishment of Beaufort
and the dismissal of Chateauneuf with utter indifference.
Even the return of Mazarin early in February found her
uninterested.

Strangely enough France shared her pliilosopliical
attitude, and accepted the return of the hated Minister
without protest. When Louis returned to Paris, he came
as its King and quickly made his supremacy felt. There
was about the sHm dark-eyed boy a dignity that inspired

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 339

respect, a calm assurance that compelled obedience.
When he announced that he wished to recall Mazarin
there was not a dissenting voice. The Cardinal came
back from his exile, summoned by the same Parliament
that had recently put a price on his tonsured head.

He hardly recognized the Paris to which he returned.
He had left it a seething mass of sedition and conflict.
He found it quiet and orderly, going meekly about its
business and treating its King with submissive reverence.
With the removal of the ringleaders, there was no
incitement to rebellion. France now contemplated with
bewildered horror the results of its recent madness.
Thousands of lives had been lost, millions of francs
wasted, untold property destroyed, all to satisfy the selfish
ambition of a few addle-pated nobles and politicians.

Back in Paris to stay, Mazarin gathered up the reins
of government and settled down to a peaceful career of
plunder. Henceforth he would guide the destinies of
France with a single eye to his own profit, and avoid like
a plague all such costly disturbances as the Fronde. To
his relief he found that all his enemies had been scattered.
Of all the Frondeurs, there remained only Madame de
Chevreuse and she had, during the last year, been his
ally. Her support had been of the utmost assistance to
him, and he was anxious to retain her co-operation.

He found Marie saddened and subdued, still reeling
under the crashing blow that had befallen her. Politics
had lost their interest and she longed for the peace of
Dampierre. With the King's consent, she was about to
withdraw from Court, when Mazarin asked her help in
one last small matter.

His policy now was one of conciliation and he wished
to win over all those who might still cherish some
lurking grudge against the administration. Conde was

340 MARIE DE ROHAN

Stirring up trouble in the South, and it was essential that
he should get no support from the nobles. The young
Duke de Noirmoutiers was suspected of being sym-
pathetic towards the exiled Duke, and Mazarin asked
Marie to keep him from joining the lost cause.

Noirmoutiers had been one of Charlotte's most ardent
admirers and a frequent visitor at the Hotel de Chev-
reuse. Marie knew liis weaknesses and played on them
with her matcliless skill. In a few interviews she won
the young man's confidence, discussed his plans and
dissuaded him from throwing in his lot with Conde.
Completely won over by her arguments, Noirmoutiers fell
into line and joined the ranks of the King's loyal servants.

With the winning of Noirmoutiers, Marie de Chev-
reuse brought her political career to a close. Like a wise
actress, she retired from public life when she was at the
zenith of her fame. The Fronde had proved her one of
the ablest politicians of the age. She had regained the
friendship of Anne, compelled the admiring respect of
Mazarin and routed the hereditary enemies of her House.
Greater triumphs, unlimited prestige might have been hers,
if she remained at Court, but she had lost all ambition.

Marie had never engaged in intrigue for its own sake.
Always there had been a friend to help or an enemy to
fight. Woman-like, she had been swayed by her emo-
tions. Her actions had been dictated either by love or
by hate. With the death of Charlotte, she fell into an
apathetic state. Henceforth her interest in public affairs
would be purely academic. Marie de Chevreuse would
no longer make history.

Early in 1653, she retired to Dampierre and with her
went Geoffrey de Laigue. The good Baron had gone
lightly out to Liege five years before under orders to
win her heart. He came back her captive and remained

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 34I

her contented slave for life. For twenty-two years they
lived together at the Chateau in a relation that was a
satisfying blend of passion and congenial companion-
ship. It was generally believed that they had contracted
what was known as a mariage de conscience.

From her peaceful retreat Marie continued to watch
the endless struggle for power and place, and occasion-
ally lent a hand to help a friend. When the Jansenists
were being persecuted, she wrote to Mazarin to intercede
for them. His reply is notable for its tone of submissive
flattery : " I find myself in some difficulty : nevertheless,
if you will not relieve me of the necessity of praying
Their Majesties. ... I will do it to obey you."
Later, in another connection he writes : " I send you the
permit you ask out of blind submission to the commands
you have been pleased to lay upon me." Marie had
retired from active life but she remained an influential
personage, one whose favour was sought and whose
word carried weight.

One by one, as the years passed, the actors who had
played their parts in the tragi-comedy of Marie's life
passed from the stage. The year after her retirement her
father, the Duke de Montbazon, died at the age of
eighty-six. For all his years the doughty old lad had
lost none of his vivid interest in the opposite sex. Like
David he combated the cliill of age with the help of a
succession of fair Sulammites. Unlike David he showed
no diminution in his natural powers and no loss of
ambition. He left a merry widow, a young daughter,
Anne de Rohan, and a mountain of debts.

For five years the Duchesse de Montbazon consoled
herself for his loss with a series of lovers. Then she too
died and was duly embalmed. The lover of the moment
entered the room to take a last fond farewell but the

542 MARIE DE ROHAN

embalmers had not finished their work. He saw his
dead mistress with her head off and was so aghast that
he retired hastily into a monastery. In later years he
founded the Trappist Order of Monks, whose members
are vowed to perpetual silence.

In the same year Claude de Lorraine, Duke de Chev-
reuse, tottered from the stage which he had adorned for
over eighty years. He had shared his father-in-law's
amorous proclivities and had been equally tireless in his
pursuit of love. To the very last he could be galvanized
into action by a voluptuous figure and insisted on being
tended during his illness by personable wenches. He
left his financial affairs in such hopeless confusion that he
was accused of dying to escape his creditors. His only
asset was the Duchy of Chevreuse. In order to pay his
outstanding debts, Marie sold the title and estates to her
own son, de Luynes. Some years later this son married
Anne de Rohan, Marie's step-sister. Thus for the
second time, a de Rohan married a de Luynes and
became Duchesse de Chevreuse.

The frenzied finance of Chevreuse and Montbazon
had involved the family in a series of law-suits, and these
afforded an outlet for Marie's natural pugnacity. For
the rest, her days were passed pleasantly in the company
of her cher ami, de Laigue. The care of the estate pro-
vided her with some occupation, and she found genuine
happiness in relieving the distress among her tenants.
It was probably during this time that she wrote the
" Discourse on the Art of Love " that has been men-
tioned by contemporaries. Unfortunately this literary effort
has never come to light and was probably lost during
the Revolution. The world is the poorer for its loss. It
was a dissertation by one whoadmittedly knew her subject.

From time to time ISIarie would emerge from her

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 343

peaceful retreat and appear at Court. There she would
renew old friendsliips, watch the latest developments in
the political field and pick up the newest scandal. We
get a glimpse of her on one such expedition.

She was sitting with Anne and a few of her intimates,
discussing the young King's infatuation for Louise de la
Valliere. Louis liimself entered the room and chatted
for a time with his mother and her ladies. He playfully-
accused them of talking scandal and declared that people
are always ready to censure the sins to which they them-
selves are most addicted. " Here is Madame de Chev-
reuse, for example," he laughed. " She frowns now at
love but we have heard that in her younger days she
was not so strict."

Marie's hilarious youth and colourful maturity were,
in fact, common property. She was regarded by the new
generation at Court as one of the prize exhibits of a more
romantic age, and her adventures had become legendary.
When she was over seventy, a scandalous little book
called " La Carte Geographique " was printed in Paris.
Under the thin disguise of a geographical gazette, it
listed the outstanding figures at court. Thus :

CHEVREUSE : a large fortress, quite ruined. In the
old days it was exceedingly famous and full of traffic,
and did business in several countries. The citadel is
now quite in ruins, thanks to many sieges and it is
reported to have frequently surrendered at discre-
tion. . . .

" We have seen beauty by its own fire burnt
Wither and fade."

The loveliness that had survived so many adventures
and laughed at the calendar had succumbed at last to the

344 MARIE DE ROHAN

relentless attack of the marching years. The lithe figure
had become matronly, the exquisite face was wrinkled ;
the eyes had lost their bright allure, but the ineffable
charm remained. The rapier play of her wit still de-
lighted her friends, and her infectious chuckle was as
ready as ever. Her hair was whitening but her brain had
all its old far-sighted keenness. Marie could still pull
strings and make her puppets dance.

Her interests now centred around her son and liis
growing family. With their welfare at heart, she played
one last little game and played it so deftly that it can
only be deduced from a few known facts.

The financial affairs of France were at that time con-
trolled by Nicholas Fouquet, who took advantage of his
position to plunder the country on an epic scale. Millions
of francs, diverted from the public treasury, had gone to
swell his private fortune. Meanwliile, in the King's
household a young man named Colbert was going about
his master's business with efficiency and discretion.
Among his other duties, he found discreet lodgings for
the King's various casual mistresses, arranged for the
baptism and adoption of their offspring and found for
the cliildren of Madame de Montespan the highly
respectable governess who was later to rule France as
Madame de Maintenon.

Anne, who was becoming ever stouter and more
lethargic with the passing years, bestirred herself and
wxnt to Dampierre. Such a visit was a signal mark of
royal favour and indicates that the friendsliip begun
fifty years before had regained some of its old warmth.
For a week the Queen-Mother was Marie's guest and,
during that time, they had many long private con-
versations. Lacking direct evidence, we can only assume
their importance.

THE INTRIGUING DUCHESS 345

Shortly after Anne's return to Paris, Fouquet was
dismissed and indicted for embezzlement. The discreet
Colbert took his place and proved himself a wizard of
finance. Later still, Colbert's daughter married the
grandson of Marie de Chevreuse, Charles Honore
d' Albert, Duke de Luynes, Duke de Chevreuse and
Duke de Chaulnes.

Such are the bare facts of Marie's last intrigue. They
can be ignored or interpreted differently, but that are
at least suggestive. Times were changing and shrewd
observers realized that the day of the turbulent noble
was over. Henceforth prestige would depend not on
the strong arm but on the long purse. The family tree,
however lofty, must be nourished with gold and planted
in rich ground. As the feudal lord with his tenant army
passed away, his place was taken by the wealthy bour-
geois. The marriage of a Rohan to the son of a financier
marked a new order of things and put that ancient
family on a firmer financial footing.

Anne of Austria died in 1666, and four years later
Marie lost yet another friend when the gallant Chevalier
de Jars limped from the stage. Last of all de Laigue,
the companion of so many years, went to join the noble
company of lovers who awaited Marie in the shadows.
He left her alone with her memories in a world suddenly
cold and drab. He was laid to rest in the burial ground
at Dampierre where, five years later, his mistress would
come to lie beside him.

EPILOGUE

MARIE DE CHEVREUSE had lived too long.
Gone were the riotous days when the lusty-
laughter of Henry of Navarre rang through the
Louvre ; when blood was hot and swords sprang from
their scabbards at a word. Under the iron rule of Louis
XIV, France had grown stereotyped. Etiquette had
taken the place of the Ten Commandments, and decorum
was the god whose altars filled the land. The Louvre
stood dark and silent, haunted by the ghosts of its lurid
past. Amid the rococo splendours of Versailles le Roi
Soleil clicked pompously about on his liigh red heels,
while the courtiers bowed to the ground in reverential
awe. Madame de Maintenon ruled with the rigid virtue
of the reformed prostitute, and in the crushing boredom
of her presence laughter died unborn.

The present was grey and empty but the past was a
gorgeous riot of memories. Marie stood alone on the
darkening stage, while across the boards, in imagination,
trooped the actors who had played their part in the gay
days of old. There was Henry of Navarre with a mistress
on each arm and his casual offspring gambolling about,
numerous past all counting ; Chalais writhed on the
scaffold and de Jars limped proudly to the torture
chamber ; Richelieu swept by, stately in his scarlet robes
and beliind him " the grey Cardinal '* shufHed along on
sandalled feet ; Marie de Medici stormed past, scowling
with jealous rage and the Princess de Conti reeled in
uncorsetted mirth ; there Buckingham bowed with

347

348 EPILOGUE

ineffable grace, wliile pearls dripped unnoticed from his
satin doublet ; Louis the Chaste, kicking and sobbing,
was carried to his wife's bed ; the " sweetest prince in
Europe " turned aside to liide liis squint and Chevreuse
strolled about exliibiting his diamond scarf; black-
browed Chateauneuf looked gloomily down from his
prison window ; Gaston slouched by, hands in pockets,
his lips puckered in their eternal whistle ; Louise de la
Fayette passed demurely, breviary in hand ; and across
the stage slipped the furtive figure of Montagu, muffled
to the eyes and carr}dng the fatal black bag.

Once again Marie heard the blood-hungry howl of
the mob as they fell on the dead body of Concini, the
shrilling of violins as the Bastille surrendered to the
Fronde and the thunder of pursuing hooves on the
road to Spain.

For five years the leading lady waited alone while the
ghostly procession passed and repassed. Then came the
cue for her exit. With perfect composure Marie spoke
her last lines and departed into the darkness. The
curtain fell and the play was over.

It had lasted for nearly eighty years and in that time
Marie de Chevreuse had made liistory. Equipped only
with a quick wit, a lovely face and an abiding sense of
humour, she had kept the chancelleries of Europe in a
turmoil and swayed the destiny of France. Studying her
career with an impartial eye, there seems nothing either
profitable or constructive in her activities, but the
glamour of her personality makes impartiality difficult
to achieve.

How can one judge calmly a woman who combined
the political acumen of a great statesman with the irre-
sponsible destructiveness of a small ape ; who had the
morals of a street arab and the manners of a grande dame ?

EPILOGUE 349

She was urged on to do incalculable mischief by the
kindliest heart in the world. When her impulsive
generosity prompted her to a course of action, she threw
scruples to the four winds of heaven. No danger could
daunt her ; no thought of self-interest came to check
her headlong pace. She never failed a friend or yielded
to an enemy. Gay and gallant, she played the game for
all it was worth — won with a careless shrug and lost
without whining.

It is difficult to think of that narrow grave at Dam-
pierre as marking the utter extinction of her dynamic
personality. It is even more difficult to picture her
demurely playing a harp in the conventional heaven of
the Sunday-school books. Perhaps, " a most individual
and bewildering ghost," she haunts the scenes of her
past triumphs. Perhaps in some place of shades, she
loves and laughs, tossing

"... her brown delightful head,
Amusedly, among the ancient dead."

A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHICAL

{The Duchesse de Chevreuse)

Batiffol, Louis; La Duchesse de Chevreuse.

Cousin, Victor; The Secret History of the French Court.

Williams, H. Noel; J Fair Conspirator.

BIOGRAPHICAL

(General)

Barine, Arvede; La Grande Mademoiselle.
Belloc, Hilaire; Richelieu.

Cabanes, Docteur; Le Cabinet Secret de I'LIistoire.
Cousin, Victor; Madame de Longueville.

Marie de Hautefort.
Dufour, T. L.; Princesses, Dames et Aventurieres du Regne de

Louis XIF.
Federn, Karl; Richelieu.
Godley, E.; The Great Conde.
Hartmann, C. H.; The Magnificent Montmorenci.
Hassall, Arthur; Ma-zarin.
Lodge, Richard; Richelieu.
Motteville, Madame de; Memoirs.

Rabutin, Marquis de Bussy; Histoire Amoreuse des Gaules.
Retz, Cardinal de; Memoirs.
Robert, Henri; Les Grands Proces de r Histoire.
Rogers, Cameron; Gallant Ladies.
St. Amand, Imbert de; Women of the Valois Court.
Touchard-Lafosse ; According to the Cardinal.

The Passing of The Cardinal.
Williams, H. Noel; The Brood of False Lorraine

351

552 A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

HISTORICAL

Bazin; Histoire de France sous Louis Xlll.
Bingliam; The Bastille, Vol. I.

Boulenger, Jacques; Seventeenth Century in France.
Guizot; Histoire de France.
Lord, A. P.; Regency of Marie de Medici.
Perkins; France under Richelieu.
France under Mazarin.
Voltaire; Le Siecle de Louis XIV.

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